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U.S.: 8 soldiers killed in Afghanistan bombings

Latest deaths make October deadliest month of war for American forces

By Joshua Partlow / Washington Post

KABUL -- A series of powerful bombs killed eight American soldiers and an interpreter in southern Afghanistan Tuesday morning, according to U.S. military officials.

The attacks, which came one day after 14 Americans died in two helicopter crashes here, made October the deadliest month for the U.S. military of the eight-year war.

At least 53 U.S. troops have died this month, with four days left before Nov. 1 and the Taliban insurgency continuing to expand its reach and lethal tactics. The previous monthly high was 51 fatalities, in August of this year.

The U.S. military said in a statement that "multiple complex" roadside bomb attacks killed the soldiers and wounded several others. Military officials said at least one of those bombs struck U.S. Army armored vehicles, known as Strykers, in the Argandab area of Kandahar province.

After the blast, the U.S. military responded with hellfire rockets that killed one suspected insurgent, officials said.

"A loss like this is extremely difficult for the families as well as for those who served alongside these brave service members," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, a military spokeswoman, in a statement.

The growing violence is sure to factor into the Obama administration's deliberations of a war strategy in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has conducted war games to test how adding thousands of new troops might improve the situation. Obama has said he did not want to rush into a decision to send more troops.