Five U.S. service members were killed on Saturday by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the latest deadly attack against international troops since the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive this week.
The coalition did not disclose the location of the blast. However, a spokesman for the Governor of Kandahar said the patrol hit the roadside bomb in Maiwand district of the province, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban. A public affairs official for the U.S.-led coalition in Kabul confirmed that all five were Americans. With the deaths, 47 members of the coalition have been killed so far this year including 32 Americans. Three British soldiers were killed on April 30 when their vehicle hit a bomb in Helmand province.