At least two US Marines have been killed during what has been described as a complex Taliban attack on a base in southern Afghanistan.
Several other soldiers were wounded in the attack on Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand on Friday, Master Sergeant Bob Barko of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told Reuters.
According to the website icasualties.org, a total of 149 US troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan so far this year.
A total of 418 US soldiers died in Afghanistan in 2011. The year 2010, however, remains the deadliest year for US military casualties with a death toll of 499.
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The increasing number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.
The US-led war in Afghanistan began in 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of about 130,000 US-led troops.
KA/HGL
