Two US service members killed in Afghanistan

Two others were injured when a roadside bomb hit a US military convoy

An Afghan security official stands guard at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in December 2019. EPA

Two American service members were killed and two more injured on Saturday in southern Afghanistan after a roadside bomb explosion, the US military confirmed.

The Taliban quickly claimed the attack, which occurred when a US military vehicle was struck by a bomb in Kandahar province, where the troops had been conducting military operations under Nato.

The dead, who will named 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, were the first American military fatalities in Afghanistan this year.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the blast killed all the soldiers in the vehicle.

The militant group usually claims casualties and inflates figures when it attacks Afghan and foreign troops.

At least four US service members have been killed in attacks by the Taliban since December 12.

Saturday’s attack occurred in the Dand district of southern Kandahar province and the area was cordoned off by US troops, said an Afghan official who wished to remain anonymous.

More than 2,400 Americans have died in the 17-year conflict.

Despite having declared a winter break to regroup before the annual spring offensive, the Taliban have continued to attack Afghan and foreign troops.

Washington has negotiated with the insurgent group for the past year to reach an end to the protracted conflict.

"In recent weeks, the Trump administration has demonstrated less of a willingness to push through with talks after US troops are killed. So we may see another pause in negotiations," Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Centre for Scholars, told The National.

"On the other hand, the two sides are edging close to a deal, and so the administration may want to push through to the finish line, in the hopes of getting a deal and a commitment from the Taliban to stop attacking US troops."

"It’s important to remember that any deal between the US and Taliban won’t end the conflict," he added.

In December, the US negotiation team said they would take a break in the peace talks when militants attacked Bagram airbase, the biggest US base in Afghanistan. The talks later resumed.

In September, President Trump declared the initial agreement between the two sides “dead” after a car bomb in the capital Kabul killed 12 people including an American soldier.

More than 20,000 foreign troops, mostly Americans, are part of a US-led Nato mission in war-torn Afghanistan to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces.