A remote-control bomb exploded on a mountainous road in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing one U.S. service member and wounding two, officials said.
The attack occurred as the troops were driving in an armored vehicle in Kunar province near the regional capital Asadabad, said Sgt. Maj. Larry Lane, a military spokesman. Kunar is a mountainous province on the border with Pakistan and scores of militants are believed to hide out there.
Provincial Gov. Assadullah Wafa blamed “enemies of Afghanistan” for the attack, a term commonly used to refer to Taliban rebels.
Some of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces this year have occurred in Kunar. In June, suspected Taliban rebels shot down a special forces helicopter, resulting in the deaths of 16 service members, after killing four American commandos on the ground.
Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier was killed and four hurt when their armored vehicle rolled over in the country’s south Wednesday, the military said. “Enemy activity was not a factor,” the U.S. statement said.
The deaths brought to 208 the number of U.S. troops killed in and around Afghanistan since American-led forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001 for harboring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.