KABUL: Two Nato soldiers were killed Friday in separate rebel attacks in southern and western Afghanistan on the last day of 2010, NATO said, taking the death toll for foreign forces to at least 711 for the year.

An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service member “died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today,” ISAF said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the force said that another soldier “died following an insurgent attack in western Afghanistan today”.

It would not give further details of the incidents in which the soldiers were killed and would not reveal their nationalities, in line with its policy.

At least 711 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by independent website iCasualties.org

2010 has been by far the bloodiest year for foreign forces in the nine-year battle against the Taliban. In 2009, 521 of them died in the country.

Around 140,000 foreign troops, most of the from the US are in Afghanistan to support the government of Hamid Karzai.