A landmine blast in southern Afghanistan has killed nine Afghan soldiers.
The Taleban later claimed responsibility for the blast in Kandahar province.
An Afghan Army spokesman said the troops were traveling towards the nearby Pakistani border when their vehicle hit the mine.
U.S.-led forces are hunting down remnants of Afghanistan's ousted Taleban regime who frequently carry out hit and run attacks on coalition and Afghan government forces, mainly in the country's eastern and southern regions.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.