In Kabul, Afghanistan, three Americans, one of them a civilian, were killed in an occurrence that is still under investigation as reported by NATO towards the end of January 2010. A brief account from the International Security Assistance Force of NATO released on Friday, January 29, revealed that the deaths took place in eastern Afghanistan.

“Two US service members and one US employee were killed today in eastern Afghanistan,” it said.

An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesperson verified to AFP that the worker was an American civilian although no extra information was accessible on what occurred or where it took place. Major parts of eastern Afghanistan have become Pakistan’s unstable tribal areas and have been the sight of brutal encounters between the Afghans and international forces that fight for the Kabul government in opposition to uprisings that originate from their neighboring country, Pakistan.

The demise of the United States soldiers brings the total number of foreign troops who died in Afghanistan this year to 44. This information taken from icasualties.org also indicates that of those who have died, 29 were Americans. By contrast, the website says around 25 foreign troops were slain in January 2009.

The United States, along with NATO, sent some 113,000 troops to Afghanistan, all fighting the Taliban. In addition to this, there are also 40,000 more being positioned to deploy through August 2010. This additional deployment is being supported by what American officials describe as a “civilian surge,” a converted tactic for the war that also focuses on supporting military action with development and assistance.

The civilians, who are experts in a variety of things – from wheat seeds to stress counseling – are spreading out to different military bases in Afghanistan, where they will be exposed to Taliban attacks.

Since the ousting of the Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s new government has preserved well built relations with the United States and other members of NATO. More than 22 NATO nations positioned thousands of troops in Afghanistan as a component of the ISAF.