2 U.S. Troops, 1 British Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

KABUL – Bombs killed two U.S. troops and one Briton in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, as the death toll mounts in the bloodiest month of the war.

The NATO-led force released no other details about the three deaths, including the troops' military branch or where the attack occurred. Tech Sgt. Chuck Marsh confirmed that two troops were American.

The British Ministry of Defense announced later that a soldier from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards had been killed in a separate blast. The soldier was the 19th member of Britain's 9,000-strong force to be killed in Afghanistan this month.

Those deaths have triggered a national debate in Britain over the conduct of the war.

Southern Helmand province is the site of the largest U.S. Marine operation since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban regime. Some 4,000 Marines are taking part. They have met little resistance from Taliban fighters but have had to contend with dozens of roadside bombs hidden in the region's dirt roads.

The U.S. has close to 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, a record number. President Obama has increased the U.S. focus on Afghanistan as American forces draw out of Iraq.