Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan confirmed the nationality of the troops killed in one of the highest death tolls from a single incident in recent months.
The seven US troops were killed in two successive blasts in Shorabak district in Kandahar province, as coalition and Afghan forces were carrying out a patrol about 20 kilometers from the border with Pakistan.
A local border police commander said two Afghan policemen were also killed in the attack and the Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast.
It was the most deadly attack since April 27, when nine Americans -- eight troops and a contractor -- were killed by an Afghan officer who opened fire at a Kabul military training center.
Violence is on the rise as the Taliban wages a spring offensive, hoping to roll back gains by NATO-led and Afghan forces in the south. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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