Afghan bomb kills four Nato troops

A roadside bomb killed four service members from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan's…

A roadside bomb killed four service members from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan's volatile east today, the coalition said in a statement.

ISAF gave no other details, including the nationalities of those killed. Most of the troops serving in the volatile eastern provinces near the border with Pakistan are American, although some other members of the Nato force are stationed there.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan this month since the Afghan Taliban announced the start of its  "spring offensive".

US commanders have warned of a spike in violence this month as the Taliban and other militants seek to hit back after Nato-led forces made significant gains in arresting a growing insurgency, particularly in the Taliban heartland in the south, over the past 18 months.

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They have warned that significant attacks would be likely in the east, where the insurgency is much more fragmented, and in major cities.

On Saturday, a suicide bomber killed six medical students in an attack in the main military hospital in the capital, Kabul.

The next day, four Taliban suicide bombers staged a brazen assault on a police compound in eastern Khost city, killing three police, two Afghan soldiers and a civilian.

Despite the presence of up to 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government by US-backed Afghan forces. There were record casualties on both sides last year.