HERAT, Nov 9: A Taliban suicide attacker rammed a bomb-filled mini-van into a Nato military convoy in Afghanistan on Sunday, killing two Spanish soldiers and critically wounding another, authorities said.

The attack was in western Herat province’s Shindand district where in August, Kabul and the UN alleged that air strikes on Taliban had killed dozens of civilians. The US military admitted later 33 had died.

The International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) convoy had been passing through the district with Afghan security forces when it was struck by the attacker’s vehicle, Afghan police said.

One soldier died on the spot and another later succumbed to injuries, western Afghanistan police commander General Ikramudin Yawar said. Three others were wounded, he said.

“Two Spanish soldiers were killed and another was critically wounded in an attack south of Herat,” the Spanish defence ministry said in Madrid.

Defence Minister Carme Chacon later told reporters that the mini-van had been carrying a large amount of explosives and had struck an armoured vehicle in a convoy returning from an exercise.

Three other soldiers were slightly injured, the minister said.

The Nato-led force numbers about 50,700 soldiers, including 780 Spaniards.

A spokesman for the Taliban, who were in government between 1996 and 2001, said the attack was carried out on behalf of his group.

Fifteen Afghan and foreign soldiers were killed and wounded, said spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi.

Sunday’s attack took place about two kilometres from the village of Azizabad, where Afghan and UN investigators said 90 civilians were killed in air strikes on August 22.

The US military initially said five to seven civilians were killed along with 30-35 Taliban. It reviewed its investigation under pressure, and said later that 33 civilians and 22 militants were killed.

Around 256 international soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year, according to the icasualties.org website, which monitors the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.—AFP