NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan

KABUL: A NATO soldier was killed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said.

The soldier, whose nationality was not given, died "following an insurgent attack," the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The latest death brings the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 594, according to media tally based on the independent icasualities.org website.
The total last year was 521.

The United States and NATO have more than 150,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting a nine-year Taliban-led insurgency aimed at toppling the country's Western-backed government.

The rebels have stepped up attacks every year since the Taliban regime collapsed following the late 2001 US-led invasion.