3 US troops killed in attacks in eastern Afghanistan, including 2 in firefight with militants

3 US troops killed in attacks in east Afghanistan

KABUL — The military says three U.S. troops have died in attacks in eastern Afghanistan, including two killed in a firefight with militants.

A military statement says one American service member died Friday after being wounded the day before in a bomb attack in Wardak province, and two other Americans were killed in a firefight Friday in the same region.

U.S. death tolls have risen steadily since President Barack Obama’s decision to send 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan to curb the growing Taliban-led insurgency.

Now the Obama administration and Congress are debating the future of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 when a U.S.-led force drove the Taliban from power after they refused to hand over al-Qaida boss Osama bin Laden.