The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said Tuesday that one of its service members was killed in an explosion at a military camp, south of the war-torn Asian nation.
"An International Security Assistance Force service member died as a result of an explosion on an ISAF camp in southern Afghanistan today," the coalition force said in a statement on its website.
ISAF said in the statement that it has opened an inquiry into the explosion, the cause of which is still unclear. It was also stressed that there were no indications that "the explosion was a result of enemy activity."
The coalition force, however, did not disclose the identity or nationality of the deceased in accordance with its policy of not disclosing details until the home country of the victims does so.
According to media estimates, some 380 ISAF personnel, including 289 Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, mostly in roadside bomb attacks using IEDs (improvised explosive devices).
Notably, most of the recent ISAF casualties have been in southern Afghanistan, where the foreign coalition is attempting to retain control over the territories captured from Taliban militants over the past two years.
Currently, there are over 104,900 foreign troops from more than 48 countries in Afghanistan to contain a resurgent Taliban in the land-locked South Asian country. The U.S. remains the single biggest contributor to the coalition force, with 68,000 soldiers on the ground.
The U.S. and other allied nations involved in the Afghan mission are currently making serious efforts to get the Afghan security forces ready and capable of handling the country's security before the planned withdrawal of coalition troops by the end of 2014.
The ISAF has already begun the process of entrusting security responsibilities of several provinces to Afghan forces. However, there are wide concerns about the ability of Afghan security forces to counter the Taliban insurgency without the same level of foreign military assistance and presence.
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