Three foreign soldiers and two coalition civilian workers have been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan, the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) has said.

Isaf said they had been killed by an improvised explosive device in southern Zabul province.

It has not yet released the nationalities of those killed.

Nato is in the process of handing control of security operations to the Afghan forces, reports the BBC.

Some areas have already been transferred to Afghan forces. Just over 100,000 soldiers are still serving with Isaf; they are due to be withdrawn by the end of 2014.

The AFP news agency quoted an Isaf spokesman in the capital, Kabul, as saying the blast had been a car bomb which hit a military vehicle.

He said there had also been Afghan civilian casualties.

BBC