Roadside Bomb Kills 4 U.S. GIs In Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — A roadside bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan killed four American soldiers yesterday, while two NATO soldiers died elsewhere, and a battle in the country's poppy-growing heartland killed more than 50 suspected militants. A purported Taliban spokesman, meanwhile, said the deadline has been extended for the lives of 23 South Korean hostages until this evening.

The bomb blast came against American soldiers conducting a combat patrol in the eastern province of Paktika, Governor Mohammad Ekram Akhpelwak said. Norway said one of its soldiers was killed in Logar province, and NATO said another soldier was killed in the South, though the nationality was not made public.

The six deaths bring to 114 the number of Western soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year, including 54 Americans, according to AP.