Five US troops killed in Afghanistan

Five US troops were killed in new Afghan attacks today following yesterday's Taliban assault in Kandahar.

Eight Americans have now been killed within 24 hours in the volatile south of the country, where troops are making a push to secure Taliban-dominated areas.

The Nato-led force said four troops were killed by a roadside bomb in the south today, while a fifth died of wounds from a gun battle.

Three other Americans died late yesterday in a Taliban suicide attack on a police headquarters in Kandahar, the largest southern city.

An Afghan policeman and five civilians died in the same attack.

Three British troops were killed and another four wounded by a rogue Afghan soldier at their base in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan early yesterday.

In a separate incident in Sangin district yesterday, a Royal Marine was shot dead while on foot patrol.