Two US soldiers killed in Afghan bomb blast

The two soldiers were killed and a third wounded in insurgency-wracked southeastern Paktika province when an improvised bomb exploded as their vehicle was passing, the US military said in a statement.

An Afghan interpreter was also wounded in the blast.

The wounded were evacuated to a US military base at Salerno in neighbouring Khost province, the statement said.

In a separate attack in southern Zabul province, two Taliban were killed and four wounded during an hour-long gun battle after they ambushed a police convoy.

Nearly 150 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan since in the operation launched in late 2001 that toppled the former Taliban regime after it failed to hand over al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, wanted for the September 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York.