Suicide attack kills three NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan

A suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan has killed three NATO troops, the United States military said on Sunday.

It said a US soldier and two Afghan troops were wounded in Sunday's blast, which targeted a foot patrol. The statement did not specify the nationalities of the soldiers who were killed.

Wahida Shahkar, the spokeswoman for the provincial governor in the Parwan province, said the attack took place near the provincial capital, Charakar, in eastern Afghanistan.

The Taliban claimed the attack on the NATO forces, who are in Afghanistan to provide support, training and troops for anti-terror missions.

In the run up to Afghanistan's years-delayed elections in October, security forces have struggled to get the upper hand against militant groups and prevent civilian casualties.

Many Western and Afghan officials expect 2018 to continue to be a particularly bloody year.

On Friday, an suicide bomber killed at least 29 people at a Shia mosque in the country's eastern province of Gatkia.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday.

Earlier this month, the UN released a report showing a record number of civilians killed in the first six months of 2018, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death.

The toll of 1,692 fatalities was one percent more than a year earlier and the highest for the period since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) began keeping records in 2009.

The record death toll came despite an unprecedented ceasefire by Afghan security forces and the Taliban last month that was largely respected by both sides, UNAMA said.