US Trooper Killed in Attack in Afghanistan(Thursday)

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Source: AP

KABUL — A U.S. service member was killed Thursday in an insurgent attack in the country's volatile south, a U.S. military official said, raising to 35 the number of American troops to die in the Afghan war this month.

Also Thursday, two leading candidates in the Aug. 20 presidential election faced one another in an unprecedented television debate — which went ahead despite a decision by President Hamid Karzai not to take part.

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-finance minister Ashraf Ghani both cited civilian casualties, searching private homes without permission and arresting people without cause as major reasons for opposition to the presence of U.S. and other international forces.

U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker confirmed the latest U.S. death but released no further details. July has already become the deadliest month for American and international forces since the U.S.-led invasion of 2001 toppled the Taliban from power.

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