Seven Afghan army troops were killed Monday in a roadside bomb attack in the country 's southern province of Zabul, authorities said.

"An army vehicle set off a roadside bomb planted by the militants in Shah Hassan Khel area of Shahjoy district Monday morning," the district governor Malik Ali Mohammad told Xinhua.

"The blast killed seven soldiers aboard the vehicle on the spot. "

The vehicle was also destroyed in the blast, said the official.

Casualties of the Afghan security forces have risen since last year as the United States and NATO troops in Afghanistan switched from combat to support role, including training and advising.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual rebel offensive against Afghan government forces and more than 51,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country in mid-May.

Majority of NATO-led troops are set to withdraw from Afghanistan by the year end.

The war-torn country is due to take over the security responsibility from foreign troops by the end of 2014. Endi

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