A roadside bomb hit a US military vehicle in southeastern Afghanis-tan and killed two soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, underscoring the rising cost of American operations aimed at preventing militants from disrupting the country's first post-Taliban election.
One US soldier also was injured when the blast hit the Humvee on Saturday in Ghazni province, the US military said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the bombing about 230km southwest of the capital, Kabul. But the area lies in territory near Pakistan where suspected Taliban-led rebels regularly clash with US and Afghan troops.
The latest deaths bring to about 58 the number of American soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan since US forces entered the country in 2001 to drive the Taliban from power and attack its al-Qaeda allies.
With accidents and deaths elsewhere, including several plane crashes, more than 130 American soldiers have died since Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in response to the Sept. 11 attacks in the US.
Twenty-three of the combat deaths in Afghanistan have occurred this year, making 2004 the deadliest year yet and undermining assertions by American and Afghan officials that militants are on the defensive and security is improving.
Violence has intensified in recent months as the country prepares for the election.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
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Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
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