Five foreign soldiers killed in Afghan blasts

Four US soldiers and one UK serviceman have been killed in two separate bomb blasts in southern Afghanistan, officials say.

The American soldiers died after an improvised explosive device went off, a statement by Nato-led forces said.

The British soldier was killed in a separate blast in Helmand province, officials said.

The deaths on Sunday are the first attributed to hostile action in Afghanistan in 2010.

An unnamed Afghan police official was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying the attack on the US servicemen took place in Panjwayi district in Kandahar province.

It also reported that Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.

He called from an unknown location and gave the same location of the strike as the police official, the agency said.

Troop surge

Violence in Afghanistan has escalated sharply in recent months as UK and US forces continue their offensive against Taliban militants in the south.
US President Barack Obama announced last month he would send 30,000 new US troops to Afghanistan, with a view to finally defeating the Taliban.

Nato countries followed suit by pledging another 7,000 troops.

But the the Taliban have vowed to respond with force and step up their fight in Afghanistan. A Taliban commander told the BBC that if more US troops came, more would die.

More than 900 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

Parliamentary setback

The violence comes days after Afghan MPs rejected the majority of Hamid Karzai's proposed new cabinet.

The move was described as a political setback by the UN's mission chief in Afghanistan, Kai Eide. But some Afghan MPs have been lauding the move as a sign of a vibrant democracy.

Parliament approved just seven of 24 ministers nominated by Mr Karzai including five of the highest-profile ministers thought to have Western backing.

It rejected a former warlord and the only woman nominated for the cabinet.

Mr Karzai ordered parliament to suspend its 45-day winter recess, which was to begin on Tuesday. Under the constitution, rejected nominees cannot be proposed for the same post again.

A spokesman for President Karzai said ministries were still functioning.

But some analysts argue the delay in augmenting key ministries could hamper attempts to bolster civilian institutions, which is part of US President Barack Obama's wider Afghan strategy.

Mr Karzai is due in London for an international conference on Afghanistan at the end of January.