KABUL, Aug 27: One US soldier was killed and seven wounded in attacks in southeast Afghanistan and near Kabul, the US military said on Saturday, as American casualties mount during their bloodiest year so far in the country.

In the first incident US soldiers were patrolling in the restive southeastern province of Paktika ahead of parliamentary elections next month when a roadside bomb hit their armoured vehicle, the US military said in a statement.

“One US service member was killed and four were wounded when an improvised explosive device struck their up-armored high-mobility wheeled vehicle near Khayr Kot district, Paktika province on Friday,” it said.

The incident comes less than a week after four US soldiers were killed and three wounded in a similar attack in the southern province of Zabul.

“The four US service members wounded in the attack were evacuated to nearby bases for treatment where one is in critical condition, one in stable condition and two have been returned to duty,” the US military statement said.

The soldiers were part of a combat patrol targeting rebels who have threatened to disrupt the upcoming elections on Sept 18, it added.

“Our forces have gained a great deal against the enemy and our actions will ensure a safe and secure election next month,” said Brigadier General James G. Champion, deputy commanding general of US operations in the country.

“We will honour our fallen comrade by taking the fight to these cowards who are responsible for this attack. They will not be able to rest until they are either captured or killed,” he added.

In a separate attack, three US soldiers were wounded when their convoy came under attack about 40 kilometres east of Kabul on Friday.

“Coalition forces were conducting operations to disrupt enemy forces when they came under fire. A US Army attack helicopter responded to the scene but the enemy had fled the area,” the military said in a separate statement Saturday.

The wounded were being treated at Bagram Airbase coalition headquarters north of Kabul and were in stable condition.

“The doctors are doing all they can to make sure each of them makes a swift and full recovery,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Doyle said in the statement.

The latest casualties bring to 75 the number of soldiers killed this year in operations linked to Afghanistan.

Some 50 of these were killed in hostile attacks in Afghanistan, compared with 23 in 2004, 47 in 2003, 43 in 2002, and 12 in 2001.

This has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the Taliban were driven from power by US-led forces in 2001, with almost 1,000 people killed so far in political violence compared with 850 four years ago.

After the Taliban’s failure to derail the October 9 presidential election in which Karzai stormed to victory last year, US officials predicted they were a spent force. But the Islamic militia have regrouped and their attacks are increasing in both number and sophistication.

The United Nation Security Council Tuesday slammed the extremists’ bid to disrupt the elections and called for additional funding for the polls.

US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Washington would continue to work with Kabul’s neighbours to secure Afghan borders and beef up regional security.

The Security Council also said it was ready to consider the renewal of the International Security Assistance Force, whose troops have been on the ground in Afghanistan since 2001 and who came under the command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in August 2003.—AFP