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Italian soldier killed in Afghan war

12 July 2011 22:32 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A powerful roadside bomb explosion has killed at least one Italian soldier in the troubled western Afghanistan, the Italian defense ministry says, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The defense ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the soldier lost his life in an explosion in Bakwa district in Farah Province.

Italy has some 4,200 troops in Afghanistan, mostly based in the areas of Kabul and Herat. The European country, however, has lost 40 of its soldiers during the war.

At least 299 US-led foreign forces have also been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

According to the official figures, more than 2,580 US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

The security situation remains fragile in Afghanistan despite the presence of 150,000 US-led foreign forces in the country.

The increasing number of troop casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.