KABUL, Sep 20: An Afghan vice president on Monday escaped a bomb attack which slightly injured his driver while travelling in northeast Afghanistan days after President Hamid Karzai escaped a rocket attack in the south, officials said.

Nematullah Shahrani, one of Karzai's four vice presidents, was leading a high-ranking delegation to Kunduz province to open a road when a remote-controlled bomb hit one of the vehicles carrying his bodyguards, an official said.

"Shahrani's car passed by, but the bomb hit another vehicle in which his bodyguards were driving," Kunduz governor Mohammad Omer told AFP by phone. "A driver was slightly injured," in the attack which occurred shortly after 1:00pm (0130pm PST) some 230 kilometres north of Kabul, he said.

The attack on the convoy which was carrying several ministers comes five days after militants fired a rocket on a helicopter carrying Karzai in south-eastern Paktia province forcing him to abort his first campaign electoral campaign outside Kabul.

Kunduz governor Omer blamed the attack on Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives but no one has so far claimed responsibility. Gen Mohammed Daud, the newly-appointed deputy interior minister, confirmed the attack on Sharani.

"A bomb which was planted on a road exploded and hit the eighth vehicle in the convoy which slightly injured one person," he said. Gen Daud said the attack was the work of Taliban and Al Qaeda and one suspect had already been arrested in connection with the explosion.

Separately, two soldiers of the US-led coalition were killed in an exchange of fire on Monday in southeast Afghanistan in a burst of violence which saw clashes in four different areas of southern Afghanistan, the US military said. -AFP