Blast strikes NATO-Afghan patrol, kills 9

A military foot patrol made up of NATO and Afghan forces was caught in a bomb blast killing nine. The explosion left eight Afghans dead along with one international service member. An Afghan official says the patrol group was heading through Arghandab district in the southern province of Kandahar late on Saturday when the blast struck. NATO has confirmed that one of its service members had been killed in an explosion in a statement on Sunday morning, although it remains unclear whether they were referring to this incident. Arghandab is an agricultural region on the outskirts of Kandahar, known to be a hideout for Taliban insurgents. It has been targeted by coalition forces in past operations in an effort to eliminate insurgency in the area.