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Three German soldiers killed in Afghanistan


    BERLIN (Reuters) - Three German soldiers were killed in Afghanistan after coming under attack near the northern city of Kundus, Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said on Tuesday.

    The army said the soldiers were fired upon while on a patrol mission about six kilometres southwest of Kundus.

    A total of 35 German soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, according to the Defence Ministry in Berlin.

    Germany has a parliamentary mandate to send up to 4,500 soldiers to Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission and their soldiers have been there for the last six years. Germany has about 3,720 soldiers in Afghanistan.

    German parliamentary sources said the armoured personnel carrier the three soldiers were in crashed while taking evasive action after coming under attack.

    The APC tipped over into a water-filled ditch and the soldiers were trapped inside, the sources said. Medics accompanying the patrol were unable to resuscitate the soldiers after they were freed from the vehicle.

    German forces have come under more frequent attacks this year than in the past -- more than 30 since the start of 2009. The Afghanistan deployment is controversial in Germany and has become an issue in the September 27 parliamentary election.

    (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Louise Ireland)