KABUL: Five US soldiers were killed Saturday in separate incidents while battling the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, NATO said.

Three of the soldiers died in eastern Afghanistan and two were killed in the south, NATO`s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

A sixth US serviceman died also died Saturday, but as the result of an accidental explosion, an ISAF official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The six deaths bring to 352 the total number of international soldiers to die in the Afghan war so far this year, according to a tally kept by AFP based on the icasualties.org website.

BDST:1917 HRS, July 10, 2010