Two NATO soldiers killed in Afghan south

Two NATO soldiers were killed in an insurgent attack in the south of Afghanistan on Friday, as the death toll for foreign forces in the country mounted.

The soldiers, whose nationalities were not released, are part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, whose estimated 142,000 troops in Afghanistan are set to increase to 150,000 by August.

Their deaths take to 271 the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AFP tally based on figures kept by the independent icasualties.org website.

Last year, 520 NATO troops were killed in Afghanistan in what was then the deadliest year for foreign forces since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime.

The rising death toll is unwelcome news for Washington and its allies, whose electorates are increasingly frustrated by casualties in a seemingly endless and far away war.

The Pentagon said this week US-led forces are making headway against the Taliban, but it was "overshadowed" by violence in southern provinces and what it called an overly gloomy portrayal of the war shaped by media coverage.

US president Barack Obama has ordered a surge of troops into the country that will see numbers peak at 150,000 this year, before an intended drawdown in 2011.