KABUL, Afghanistan - Three NATO service members were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan, where attacks have stepped up against coalition troops and others aligned with the government, the alliance said Friday.
NATO said the deaths occurred on Thursday -- two service members were killed when a bomb exploded in the south and a third was killed by insurgents in the east.
The deaths raised to 48 the number of foreign troops killed so far this month, compared with 33 in April 2010.
Before last winter set in, tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO reinforcements routed the Taliban from their strongholds and captured leading figures especially in the east and south. The militants, known for their resiliency, have responded with high-profile attacks across the nation.
An influential tribal leader and member of local government council was assassinated Wednesday night in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, according to the provincial governor's office. Two men knocked on the door of his home in Yahya Khel district and when he answered, one shot him dead with a machine gun.
