Kabul - Three soldiers with NATO-led international military forces were killed in southern Afghanistan on Friday, the alliance said in a statement.

The soldiers were part of the more than 50,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that has been deployed to Afghanistan from 41 nations following the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

The statement did not disclose the nationalities of the dead soldiers, nor did it say how and exactly where in southern region they were killed. Most of the troops deployed to southern provinces are soldiers from the US, Canada, Britain, and the Netherlands.

The latest deaths came a day after two NATO-led US soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Maiwand district of the southern province of Kandahar. Afghan officials said three locals also were killed, while ISAF said that 21 other local civilians were wounded.

The Taliban-led militants have steadily gained power and stepped up their attacks over the past three years despite the presence of 70,000 international troops. With more than 290 foreign soldiers killed, 2008 was the deadliest year for the NATO-led forces since the fall of Taliban regime.

The US military has announced it will nearly double its strength in Afghanistan by sending up to 30,000 extra troops in 2009, while other NATO troop-contributing countries have also hinted they will send additional troops to Afghanistan to contain the insurgency this year. (dpa)