US-led soldier killed in E Afghanistan

A US-led soldier has been killed in eastern Afghanistan, the commandment of the International Security Assistance Force has announced in a statement.

According to the statement released on Monday, the soldier was killed Monday during a direct attack by militants in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, Press TV correspondent reported.

The exact location of the incident and the nationality of the killed soldier have not been announced yet.

The statement said a NATO surveillance airplane has crashed in Eastern Afghanistan, adding that the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman claimed the group shot down the plane.

Five US-led troops were killed in separate accidents and ambushes in Afghanistan on Sunday.

The latest death brings the number of NATO troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year to 237.

Last year was the deadliest year for foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan under the command of the United States, which led the invasion of the country nine years ago as a total of 520 US-led soldiers died in 2009.

NATO currently has about 130,000 soldiers in the war-torn country. The US has plans to deploy 30,000 extra troops by August.