Separate roadside bomb attacks hit a NATO patrol and two civilian vehicles in Afghanistan, leaving nine people dead and 10 others wounded, AP quoted officials as saying Thursday. A blast targeting a NATO patrol south of Kabul killed a NATO soldier and wounded four others Wednesday, the military alliance said in a statement. NATO did not identify the nationalities of the troops attacked in Logar province. Militants often target Afghan and foreign troops with roadside bombs. In southern Kandahar province, roadside bombs hit two civilian cars Wednesday on a road frequently used by foreign and Afghan troops, killing eight civilians and wounding six others, provincial police chief Sayeed Agha Saqib said. Saqib blamed Taliban militants for the attack, which occurred between Spin Boldak and Maruf, close to the border with Pakistan. Meanwhile in neighboring Zabul province, Afghan and foreign troops killed five Taliban in the village of Faqir, said deputy provincial police chief Faridullah Khan. Acting on a tip that militants were going to the village, the joint forces surrounded the area and attacked them Thursday night. Khan said there were no casualties among Afghan or foreign troops. Over 1,200 people _ mostly militants _ have died in insurgency-related violence so far this year, according to a count by The Associated Press.
