3 U.S., 1 French Dead in Afghanistan

A U.S. military spokesman says three American troops have been killed in two blasts in southern Afghanistan.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo says the attacks happened on Saturday.

Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency, which has made a violent comeback since its initial defeat in the U.S.-led invasion.

Thousands of U.S. Marines and British troops are conducting anti-Taliban operations in the region ahead of this month's presidential elections.

Separately, a French soldier was killed and two others were wounded during a clash with insurgents north of Kabul, the French military said in a statement.

The number of U.S. and other NATO killed in bombing and clashes has soared this year.

Pentagon Confirms Marines Killed in Combat Thursday

The Department of Defense is confirming that two Marines from Tennessee and Oklahoma have been killed in combat in Afghanistan.

The department said Saturday that 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn., and 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, of Cashion, Okla., died Thursday supporting combat operations in Helmand province.

Those who knew Stroud in the small town of Cashion say he was well-liked and had a good sense of humor. The town is about 20 miles north of Oklahoma City, with a population of about 635.

The two Marines were both assigned to battalions based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Stroud joined the Marine Corps in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, said Debra Boyd, a family friend who learned of Stroud's death on Thursday from his mother.

"Jonathan was a wonderful kid," she said. "He was the class clown - everybody liked him."

Stroud and his wife, Lacie, married last year, and the couple were expecting their first child, Boyd said.

A Marine spokesman at Camp Lejeune, N.C., confirmed that Stroud was assigned to the Combat Engineer Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. The regiment is part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed to the Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.

Boyd said Stroud and her son, Sam, attended school together since kindergarten and graduated with a tight-knit group of 29 students from Cashion High School in 2007.

"They just had a fantastic class," Boyd said. "I've heard the faculty say that this was a special group of kids. They didn't get in any trouble - they were very helpful and respectful."

Located about 20 miles north of Oklahoma City, Cashion has a population of about 635.

Cashion Superintendent Marva Oard described Stroud as an outgoing, friendly student who had a good sense of humor and was always respectful toward faculty and staff.

In the senior yearbook where students list what they are most likely to do, Stroud wrote "that he was most likely to smell like green beans," Oard said. "I'm sure he was the one who picked that. That's Jonathan. He just had that kind of sense of humor."

Oard said she expects any memorial service for Stroud to be well supported by the community.

"They really have a very good appreciation for our military men and women," she said. "We just want his parents to know how highly we felt about him and how grateful we are that he chose that as his calling."