Suicide attack in Afghanistan kills 2 US soldiers

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber struck a NATO convoy in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

"I can confirm that two U.S. service members were killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when their convoy came under attack," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump told Anadolu Agency, adding that more information would be provided as it became available.

The bomber struck the convoy and at least two vehicles on the outskirts of Kandahar city.

The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission also confirmed the attack in a statement, adding it was gathering information to assess the situation on the ground.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on social media.

Qari Yosuf Ahmadi, spokesman for the group in southern Afghanistan, said a convoy near a base of the Afghan spy agency National Directorate of Security had been attacked.

On Tuesday, at least 20 people were killed and 30 others injured when a suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque in western Herat province.