ISLAMABAD - A roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan killed at least two American soldiers on Saturday and injured two others.

NATO’s Resolute Support mission said the service members were conducting operations in southern Kandahar province when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, or IED.  The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for planting the bomb in an Afghan province that hosts a major U.S. military base.  

The insurgent group stages almost daily deadly attacks on Afghan security forces and their international partners even as it holds peace talks with the United States.  

Last year was one of the deadliest for the U.S. military when it lost at least 19 service members in combat-related Afghan missions.

The conflict has cost Washington nearly $1 trillion and the lives of around 2,400 soldiers since U.S. and coalition partners invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9-11 terrorist attack.  

While Afghan security forces have also suffered tens of thousands of casualties, civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities.  

The United Nations has noted in a recent statement that more than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured in the last 10 years along.