 In the same period, 24 British soldiers and marines were killed on the ground while one marine, one soldier and 12 airmen were killed when a Royal Air Force Nimrod crashed during a reconnaissance flight over Afghanistan on September 2, 2006.US military personnel have also been killed in support of NATO operations, 17 in 2006, as well as two Italians and one Romanian soldier.Operation Mountain Fury saw 71 Afghan National Army soldiers killed.