KABUL, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A soldier of the U.S.-led coalition forces was killed by militants in Uruzgan province of southern Afghanistan Saturday afternoon, a coalition statement said.

    The soldier was killed while conducting a combat operation at around 3 p.m. (1030 GMT), the statement said, adding a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle carrying the soldier.

    Three Afghan soldiers were injured in the attack and are being treated at a nearby coalition medical facility, according to the statement.

    The nationality of the killed soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

    Another coalition soldier was killed by militants in the eastern Paktika province on Friday morning.

    About 13,000 coalition soldiers, the bulk of whom are Americans, are operating in this country to fight Taliban and other anti-government militants.

    Over 70 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year.

    Due to rising Taliban-linked insurgency, over 2,100 people, most of them Taliban militants, have been killed in Afghanistan this year.