KABUL, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three American soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were killed in a roadside bomb in south of Afghanistan on Saturday, a press release issued by the alliance said.

"Three ISAF service members from the United States died following an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) strike in southern Afghanistan today," the press release said. However, it did not give more details.

U.S. soldiers block the road to suicide attack site in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. Three U.S. soldiers died in an improvised bomb attack in southern Afghanistan, NATO said, as thousands of American troops led an assault on an insurgent stronghold in the region

A suicide bomber riding a motorbike, according to a local official Captain Abdul Rahman, targeted a joint patrol of Afghan and NATO soldiers in Taliban birthplace Kandahar this morning inflicting casualties on U.S. troops and civilians.

Today's attack occurred in the wake of Afghan and U.S.-led NATO forces launched a major operation against Taliban militants in the neighboring Helmand province Friday night which has left five insurgents dead so far.