2 NATO soldiers killed, 9 wounded in southern Afghanistan

A British army dog handler was fatally shot by insurgents in southern Afghanistan, where a Danish soldier died in a separate roadside bomb attack, officials said Friday. Britain's Ministry of Defense said the soldier from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps was hit by small arms fire during a patrol in the Sangin area of Helmand province on Thursday. An explosives sniffer dog also died. Six troops were wounded, all from the elite Parachute Regiment, the ministry said. None of their injuries was life-threatening. The latest death brings the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 112. Southern Afghanistan is at the center of the Taliban-led insurgency that has killed more than 2,700 people so far this year. The militants also exert significant influence in Afghanistan's east nearly seven years after a U.S.-led... [read full story]