Two US soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb attack, says NATO mission

Two American soldiers were killed and two others injured in a roadside bomb attack on a US Army vehicle in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO mission there said.

"In accordance with US Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members killed in action will be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete," the NATO Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

The incident took place in Dand district of southern Kandahar province, where a bomb hit a US armoured vehicle, provincial police spokesman Jamal Nasir Barkzai told reporters.

"Foreign forces were patrolling near the Kandahar airport when they were hit by a blast," officials said.  

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying on Twitter that the blast destroyed the vehicle, killing all on board.

Violence in Afghanistan usually recedes as the cold winter sets in but this year the Taliban have pushed forward with their operations despite heavy snowfall in the mountains and despite their negotiations with the US for a deal that would see American troops leave the country.

(With inputs from agencies)