Afghanistan: Eight troops dead in 24 hours, according to military

Afghanistan: Eight troops dead in 24 hours, according to military (NSI News Source Info) KABUL August 21, 2008: Eight international troops including three Poles and three Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan over the last 24 hours, a military source said on Thursday. News of the latest casualties came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy conducted a tribute ceremony in Paris for 10 French troops killed in an ambush near Kabul three days before.The three Canadians were killed in a roadside blast, while doing reconnaissance on Wednesday, its military said in a televised briefing Thursday.The soldiers were combat engineers on patrol in the Zhari district of southern Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle at 10:30 am (0630 GMT) Wednesday, said Brigadier-General Denis Thompson."They were a combat engineer reconnaissance team and they were at that point in time conducting a routine reconnaissance," Thompson said."They were on their way to the site where they were going to do the reconnaissance of a route that's going to be used for a future operation."Another wounded soldier is in serious but stable condition in hospital, Thompson added.Also Wednesday, three Polish troops also attached to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in similar circumstances in the central province of Ghazni.One coalition soldier under US command, whose nationality has not been identified, was killed by gunfire in western Afghanistan, also on Wednesday.The eighth died "outwith combat operations" in the east of the country, the military said.The deaths bring to 40 the number to have perished during August, with around 184 having died in operations since the start of the year, according to an AFP tally based on military statements.