ROADSIDE BOMB KILLS 4 US SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN

NATO: Afghan blast kills 4 U.S. troops

Deaths mark first U.S. fatalities linked to hostile action in country this year

The Associated Press
updated 1:47 a.m. CT, Mon., Jan. 4, 2010
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34684756/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

KABUL, Afghanistan - Four U.S. service members have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan, NATO said Monday. The British Ministry of Defense separately reported the death of one of the country's soldiers in an explosion.

A statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the explosion that killed the U.S. service members took place Sunday in southern Afghanistan, but did not give further details on the location or the victims' branch of service.

The deaths are the first U.S. fatalities attributable to hostile action in Afghanistan this year. One U.S. service member has died of non-combat causes so far in 2010.

The British soldier died while on foot patrol Sunday in Helmand province, the ministry said.