Seven US soldiers killed in spate of killings in Afghanistan

International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) spokesperson Brigadier General Günter Katz confirms that seven US soldiers were among 35 people killed in a string of roadside bombs and clashes in southern Afghanistan.

"I can confirm that yesterday seven American soldiers have been killed in southern Afghanistan, anything else is still due to investigation and I cannot give you any further details on this incident for the time being," he said.

Twenty-eight Afghan civilians and police were killed in southern Kandahar and Helmand provinces. All the deaths occurred on Sunday, one of the most violent days in the country for months said officials.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the killings. The service members' deaths were the latest caused by bombs planted by insurgents.

A surge in Afghan and coalition forces during the past two years has routed Taliban fighters from many of their strongholds in the south, but the insurgents have stepped up their attacks this summer to take back key areas with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

Although the UN reported a 20 per cent decrease in civilian deaths in the first four months of this year from the same period in 2011, last year saw the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan rise for a fifth straight year to over 3,000.