Afghan suicide bomber kills two U.S. soldiers in NATO convoy

KABUL - 2 August 2017: A suicide bomb attack killed two American soldiers in a NATO convoy near the airport in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Wednesday, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Navy Captain Jeff Davis announced the deaths from Washington. He gave no further details.

A local security official said the attacker drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the convoy.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an online post by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

He said the explosion destroyed two vehicles and killed 15 foreign soldiers, including two "high-ranking officers".

Photos of the site showed one partially destroyed armoured vehicle, with the rear of the truck particularly badly damaged.

A Reuters witness said military helicopters landed at the site at least four times as responding troops secured the area and removed the damaged vehicle.

The airport in Kandahar is home to a major military base for international troops helping Afghan security forces in their struggle to contain the Islamist Taliban insurgency.

The coalition maintains nearly 13,000 troops from 39 countries as part of a mission to train, advise and assist Afghan troops.

U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan have asked for several thousand additional troops, but the request is stalled in Washington, where President Donald Trump has expressed scepticism over extending the U.S. commitment.