Kabul - A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of NATO-led Norwegian forces Friday in northern Afghanistan, killing himself and wounding two soldiers while coalition forces killed six militants elsewhere in the country, officials said.

The bomber rammed his explosives-filled vehicle into the Norwegian convoy in the Takht Pul area of the relatively peaceful province of Balkh, said Abdul Raouf Taj, deputy provincial police chief. Two NATO vehicles were destroyed in the attack, he said.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that one of the ISAF's military convoys was attacked in Balkh but would not elaborate.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban militants, claimed responsibility for the attack and said Abdul Based, a resident of the southern province and Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, carried out the assault.

Mujahid claimed that 10 NATO soldiers were killed in the blast and three tanks were destroyed.

The peaceful northern region of Afghanistan is under the command of German forces, who are part of the ISAF. Currently, 3,800 German forces are stationed in the region while Berlin announced the deployment of 600 additional soldiers to be sent to country before the presidential election in August.

Meanwhile, Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed six suspected militants in an operation Thursday night in Kandahar's Maiwand district, the US military said in a statement.

Five other militants were detained by joint Afghan-international forces in separate operations in Logar, Nangahar and Paktia provinces Thursday, the military said.