Five NATO troops including three Americans died in fighting Friday in Afghanistan, raising to 34 the number of U.S. troops killed in the war so far this month.
NATO said Friday that two Americans died in an insurgent attack and another died in a roadside bomb explosion, but did not provide further details. The U.S. command confirmed their nationalities but did not specify where they died.
In London, the British Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed by in an explosion in Helmand province.
NATO said a fifth soldier was killed in eastern Afghanistan, but did not give the nationality.
June is shaping up to be one of the deadliest months for U.S. troops in the nearly 9-year-old Afghan war, as insurgents have stepped up attacks in response to a NATO push into Taliban strongholds in the south. The deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan was October 2009, when 59 Americans died.
In all, some 52 international troops have been killed in the country so far this month. The deadliest month of the war for international forces was in July 2009 when 75 troops, including 44 Americans, were killed.