The U.S. military says an American service member has died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, making August the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces.
NATO forces say the service member's vehicle struck a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Friday. A U.S. forces spokeswoman confirmed the nationality but did not provide further details.
The death brings to 45 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month, meaning August has surpassed July as the deadliest of the conflict.
More than 60,000 U.S. troops are now in the country - a record number - to combat rising insurgent violence.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff in the Afghan presidential election during a heated meeting with the special envoy to the region, officials familiar with the encounter said Friday.
The reported exchange was another sign of strains between the U.S. and Afghan authorities. An Afghan lawmaker accused the U.S. of violating international and Islamic law by firing on a clinic where a wounded Taliban commander had taken refuge. U.S. officials said they attacked only after taking gunfire and determining there were no civilians inside.
The verbal exchange occurred the day after the Aug. 20 vote during a meeting in Kabul between Karzai and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke, according to two officials who were briefed about the meeting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
They said Karzai assured Holbrooke that he would accept the election results but bristled when the envoy asked if he would also agree to a runoff if none of the 36 candidates won over 50 per cent, the officials said. - CBS News Story
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