Afghan soldiers killed by bombs

Kunar is a rugged largely mountainous province

At least eight Afghan soldiers have been killed and several wounded by two roadside bombs in Kunar province, according to officials.

Two soldiers were killed by the first blast and a second device went off as troops rushed to the scene.

"The situation is very bad. We've come under attack throughout the night," regional deputy police chief Mohammed Hasan told the Associated Press.

The mountainous Kunar province lies on the eastern border with Pakistan.

US forces targeted insurgents in Kunar last year and 16 American soldiers died in June when their helicopter was shot down over the province.

Kunar is a stronghold of renegade former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose followers are believed to be working with Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.

'Enemies of Afghanistan'

Defence Ministry spokesman Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi told the BBC: "At 0400, a roadside bomb hit one of our Afghan national army vehicles. As a result, two Afghan soldiers were killed and another four were injured.

"The Afghan national army then sent another car for support, which was also hit by a mine resulting in the deaths of four soldiers and injuring four others."

He said the attacks were the work of "the enemies of Afghanistan", a term often used by Afghan and US officials to describe Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.

Other reports have confirmed a total of eight dead.

A BBC reporter in Asadabad, the provincial capital, said he saw the dead and injured soldiers being brought to hospital by ambulance.