SYDNEY: Two Australian soldiers were killed and two wounded by a bomb blast in Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday, taking the country`s death toll in the conflict to 20.

The announcement came as Australia held national elections in which both main parties have pledged their support for the Afghan campaign.

"Yesterday we lost two fine Australian soldiers," Defence Minister John Faulkner told journalists. "The work they were doing... is tough, very tough, and it`s dangerous," he added.

The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb blast during a patrol on Friday, just a week after an Australian commando was shot dead in Kandahar province.

Australia has about 1,550 troops based in the southern province of Uruzgan on a mission to train Afghan forces to fight Taliban militants.

BDST: 0927 HRS, August 21, 2010