US soldiers walk towards the scene of an explosion in Kandahar, south of Kabul, February 7, 2011. — Photo by AP

KABUL: Insurgents killed two members of Nato's mission to Afghanistan in the south of the country Wednesday, the multinational force said.

Nato didn't release the names of the service members killed or say exactly where the attack took place. Ten service members with the international coalition have died so far this month.

A suicide bombing earlier this week in the southern province of Kandahar, which remains a hotbed of Taliban activity despite an influx of US troops over the past year, killed a retired US Customs and Border Protection officer and wounded three other US customs workers.

US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement released late Tuesday in Washington that David Hillman, a retired customs officer who had worked for the US government for 30 years, died in the blast Monday at the Inland Customs Warehouse in Kandahar.

Afghan police said the suicide bomber detonated a cache of explosives inside the city's customs house compound during a visit by Nato forces.

The Taliban in Kandahar are attacking officials and others who support pro-government forces. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed the province's deputy governor. Afghan officials have been targeted elsewhere too.

In the northern Balkh province, a roadside bomb exploded and killed the director of criminal investigations in the province's Chimtal district. Provincial police spokesman Sher Jan Durani said four bodyguards were also wounded when the bomb struck the vehicle carrying the official, Noor Ahmad.

Last year was the deadliest of the nearly decade-long war for international troops, with more than 700 killed, compared to just more than 500 in 2009.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...