US Soldier Killed in Blast in Southern Afghanistan

US Soldier killed in blast in southern Afghanistan

KABUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) — A US Soldier was killed Friday by an explosion in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the US-led coalition said on Saturday.

The US troops was conducting an offensive patrol in the area of recent enemy activity when an explosive device detonated, mortally wounding the soldier near Geresk city of the Helmand, the coalition said in a news release.

The deaths bring to 80 the number of US soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year, the bloodiest one since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.

“It’s a sad day any time a comrade dies in this ongoing struggle,” Brig. Gen. Jack Sterling, Combined Joint Task Force-76 deputy commanding general, was quoted as saying. “We will continue to work to ensure that Afghanistan remains a stable democracy.”

Earlier this month, one US soldier was killed by insurgents north of Kandahar city.

Taliban’s remnants that failed to derail the landmark Sept. 18 Afghan parliamentary elections have vowed to continue Jihad or holy war until the US-dominated foreign troops leave Afghanistan.