KABUL, May 7: Two Nato soldiers and a civilian were killed in an explosion in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the alliance force said.

Another two International Security Assistance Force troops were wounded in the blast, which occurred during a routine patrol in the eastern province of Khost, ISAF said in a statement.

The 40-nation force did not give the nationalities of the soldiers or details of the civilian who had been with them. Most of the troops in Khost, which borders Pakistan, are US nationals.

ISAF also did not say what had caused the explosion. The Taliban and other radical factions waging an insurgency in Afghanistan often use roadside bombs. The latest deaths bring to 50 the number of troops who have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year, most of them in hostile action. —AFP