Taliban claim killing 5 US troops in Afghanistan

A Taliban militant group claims its forces have killed five American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan amid growing casualty figures among foreign troops.

A Taliban spokesman said on Thursday the troops died after a bomb they planted on the side of a road in Nangarhar province blew up a US tank.

The US army, however, has dismissed the report.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have yet to confirm reports that one of its local commanders was killed in a US air strike in the eastern Kunar province on Wednesday night.

Thousands have been killed since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Most of the victims have been civilians residing in the conflict areas.