Coalition casualties mount in Afghanistan

Four more coalition troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours as the situation in the south of the country continues to deteriorate.

According to the Internationa Security Assistance Force (ISAF) one soldier was killed in an improvised explosive attack in the east of the country. His nationality has not been released.

Meanwhile, a British soldier who was wounded in a bomb attack in the Helmand Province earlier this week died of his wounds in the Queen Elizabeth NHS hospital in Birminghm, England, yesterday.

And in a third incident, two ISAF troops were killed in a gun attack in southern Afghanistan. The ISAF has refused to comment on the incident however it is understood that a security guard opened fire on troops, killing two and wounding others. The nationalities of the dead soldiers have not been released.

In the last 83 days, (since the beginning of the year) 90 coalition troops have been killed.

2010 was the deadliest year for coalition troops since the initial invasion of 2001. 709 troops were killed last year and thousands were wounded.