KABUL, 27 March 2005 — Four US soldiers were killed in an explosion in the southeastern Afghan province of Logar yesterday morning when their vehicle convoy ran over a mine as they were surveying the area with Afghan soldiers, the US military said. “Four US troops were killed in action but we have no indication that this was a new mine or an IED (improvised explosive device),” US military spokeswoman Cindy Moore told reporters.
She said the bodies of the US troops had already been evacuated from the area and an investigation was ongoing to determine the cause of the explosion, which occurred 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Kabul. “The four soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a mine, as they were moving in a three-vehicle convoy on a joint mission with the Afghan National Army,” Moore said.
Taleban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi claimed responsibility, saying the mine had been planted as recently as Friday “to target US troops”. Moore had earlier said: “It is still not clear whether it was an old mine or recently planted by anti-coalition forces.” The soldiers were taking part in a three-vehicle, joint reconnaissance mission with the Afghan National Army in Pul-e-Alam region of Logar province.
