KANDAHAR: Two US soldiers were killed in Kandahar on Wednesday when a Taliban suicide bomber rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of foreign forces.

“Two US service members were killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when their convoy came under attack,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said. “US Forces Afghanistan will provide additional information as it becomes available,” he added.

The assault is the latest blow to Nato forces, who ended their more than a decade-long combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

Since then Afghan troops and police, beset by soaring casualties, have struggled to beat back the resurgent Taliban, while facing the growing menace of the militant Islamic State group.

Afghan officials said the attack, which was quickly claimed by the Taliban in a text message to AFP, happened around noon (0730 GMT) in the Daman area of Kandahar.

Nato confirmed in a statement that a convoy was attacked and did “cause casualties” but did not immediately give further details.

At least one witness reported seeing three bodies pulled from one of the vehicles. Mohammad Azim, a shopkeeper, told AFP: “I saw a foreign forces vehicle on fire after the attack. A while later helicopters landed in the area, they took three bodies out of the vehicle and flew away. There were three armoured vehicles in the convoy.”

Tuesday’s attack came a day after suicide bombers throwing grenades killed more than 30 Shia worshippers at a mosque in Afghanistan’s main western city of Herat.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2017