Kabul- A suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan killed two Afghan officials and wounded three others, while 46 militants were killed in clashes with Afghan and foreign troops in the country's south, officials said Friday.

The suicide bomber targeted government officials in Bak district of the province of Khost on Friday morning, killing two government officials and wounding two police officers and a civilian, said Provincial Governor Arsala Jamal.

Taliban militants took responsibility for the attack in a statement posted at their website, and said one of their fighters carried out the attack, killing Shah Laat Noor, the district intelligence chief and ten others.

Taliban militants often exaggerate the death toll they inflict on Afghan or foreign forces during their attacks.

Meanwhile, Afghan police chief of southern Helmand province, Assadullah Shirzad said Afghan forces backed by NATO troops killed 27 militants in Nad Ali district of the province.

Shirzad said two policemen were wounded in the ongoing operation that started on Thursday in the district.

US-led coalition forces also claimed on Friday that their forces killed 18 militants in two separate clashes in Nahr Surkh district of the same Helmand province on Wednesday.

Both firefights began after Taliban militants in the area attacked Afghan and coalition joint patrols, US military said in a statement.

Due to the remoteness of the area, it was difficult to verify the number of Taliban dead.

Another militant was killed by NATO forces in Sarobi district of Kabul province on Thursday, the alliance said in a statement.

The NATO forces tried to detain a man behaving suspiciously and shot him as he tried to escape, the statement said, adding that the soldiers later found traces of military explosives on his clothing.

More than 4,000 people - mostly insurgents - have been killed in Afghanistan conflicts so far this year. (dpa)