Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan

The deaths raised the number of foreign soldiers killed so far this year in the Afghan war to 629.

Two Nato soldiers and an Afghan government official were killed in separate attacks across the troubled country, authorities said Tuesday.

The latest deaths brought to 629 the number of foreign soldiers killed so far this year in the Afghan war, according to an AFP count.

Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said one soldier was killed in an insurgent attack on Monday in the country's east, and another in the south by a bomb on Tuesday.

Their nationalities were not released and there were no further details.

Nato and the United States have more than 150,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan to fight the insurgency, led by Taliban militants who have stretched their presence to most parts of the country.

A district governor was killed in another Taliban-style bomb explosion in eastern Paktia province, on Tuesday, local authorities said. Shwak district chief, Ali Abad, was on his way to work when his vehicle struck the device and was killed on the spot, provincial spokesman, Rohullah Samoon told AFP.

"The district chief was martyred in the blast," Samoon said.

Home-made bombs or improvised explosive devices are weapons of choice for the Taliban and other militants.

International and Afghan forces are currently engaged in a major offensive around Kandahar, the largest city in southern Afghanistan, aimed at pushing out the insurgents to bring an end to the long war.