Two US troops killed in Afghan war

Bomb attacks have killed two US soldiers and six policemen in Afghanistan on the eve of an international conference in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The US soldiers were killed in separate bomb attacks in the country’s volatile south. The exact locations of the attacks are not known yet.

The deaths bring to 380 the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

The six Afghan policemen were killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the restive Kandahar province. Four other policemen were wounded in the attack.

The attacks come ahead of a key international conference on the future of the war-torn country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN chief Ban Ki-moon are to chair Tuesday’s summit which focuses on security, economic development and regional cooperation. Representatives from 70 countries, including about 40 foreign ministers, will attend the gathering.

There has been an upsurge in attacks against US-led foreign troops and government forces in Afghanistan over the past months.

Foreign forces are experiencing some of their bloodiest days in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Some 140,000 US-led troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. A further 10,000 troops are expected to be deployed to the war-ravaged country in the coming weeks.

NATO’s mounting death toll has led to a dramatic decline in public support for the Afghan war across Europe and the US.