5 US Troops Killed, 2 Missing in Afghanistan

(July 24) -- The Afghanistan Taliban claims to have abducted two U.S. Navy service members who vanished in a dangerous region of eastern Afghanistan Friday, reports say.

The two men, who have not been identified, were last seen Friday afternoon leaving their compound in the Afghan capital of Kabul, CNN reported. They disappeared in the province of Logar, south of Kabul, along with the military vehicle they were traveling in.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed that two men are missing, but declined to comment on the reports insurgents were holding them. ISAF forces are searching for the men.

Local radio stations broadcast appeals offering a reward of $20,000 for any information leading to the men's safe release, Reuters reported.

"Early this morning two coalition personnel went missing. They are believed to have been captured by insurgents somewhere in Logar province," the broadcast said, according to Reuters.

The Taliban told Reuters that they captured three men, one of whom is now dead.

Elsewhere, five American troops were killed this morning in roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan.

NATO confirmed the deaths in separate statements, saying four troops died in a single blast and another service member died in a separate attack. The international force did not reveal the victims' identities or nationalities, but unnamed U.S. military officials told The Associated Press they were Americans.

There's been no claim of responsibility for the bombings, and NATO didn't reveal what kind of vehicle the troops were riding in or whether they died on a foot patrol, nor whether any other comrades escaped uninjured. But roadside bombs are the leading cause of death for foreign forces in Afghanistan, and most of them are believed to have been planted by the Taliban.

A U.N. report last month described an "alarming trend" of increased violence in Afghanistan, with a 94 percent increase in roadside bombs so far this year compared with 2009, and double the number of complex suicide attacks.

Part of the reason for the uptick in attacks is that more international troops are on the ground in Afghanistan, engaging Taliban fighters more often, the report said. An additional 30,000 American troops have been deployed, and together with their NATO allies as well as Afghan soldiers and police, they're making contact with Taliban fighters more frequently.

Nearly 150,000 foreign troops are now in Afghanistan, though the U.S. has pledged to begin withdrawing its forces by this time next year.

One of the missing soldiers was described as being 6 feet tall, weighing 220 pounds, with blond hair and brown eyes, Reuters said. The other missing man was described as 190 pounds and bald with a thin mustache.

Insurgents are currently holding one other coalition fighter. They released a video of him last Christmas.

Last month was the deadliest month for NATO troops in Afghanistan, with 103 service members killed, including 60 Americans. Figures on Afghan soldiers or policemen killed were not readily available.

Today's deaths mean that at least 75 NATO troops have died in Afghanistan so far in July, including 56 Americans.

The roadside bombings also come amid reports that Afghan children have been caught in the crossfire of a battle between NATO and Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, and that many civilians have been hurt.

A local named Abdul Ghafaar told the AP that he brought seven children to a Kandahar hospital after they were injured in crossfire between international troops and Taliban gunmen in Sangin, a volatile town in nearby Helmand province where battles often rage.

In response to the AP's report, NATO issued a statement this morning saying that it's "aware of allegations in the media regarding a civilian casualty incident in the vicinity of Sangin," but that it has "no operational reporting" about the incident.

NATO has redoubled efforts to avoid Afghan civilian casualties, in an effort to win the loyalty of ordinary Afghans away from the Taliban.