4 US Alaska-based troops killed eastern Afghanistan

Four Alaska-based soldiers were killed in an explosion in Afghanistan earlier today, the Army announced.

The soldiers, who have not yet been identified, were from the 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, said a statement from Army spokesman Bill Coppernoll.

The soldiers "were killed by an improvised explosive device in Laghman Province, Afghanistan at about 10 a.m. today (Afghanistan time) while conducting a mounted patrol," the statement said.