KHOST, Afghanistan, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- An explosive-laden car detonated by Taliban militants in Afghanistan's eastern province Khost Wednesday night leaving one Taliban fighter dead and four soldiers injured, a senior Afghan military officer in the province General Mohammad Israr said Thursday.

    "Acting upon intelligence report, a joint unit of Afghan and U.S. forces were searching for an explosive-laden car in Sabari district but Taliban militants detonated it by a remote-control killing a rebel on the spot and slightly wounding one Afghan and three U.S. soldiers," Israr told Xinhua.

    One Taliban insurgent was also killed at the site of the blast, he further said.

    The officer added that the militants wanted to use the car bomb against security forces in the area but the troops foiled their design.

    Meanwhile, a local television channel Tolo in its news bulletin said that a suicide bomber targeted Afghan and the U.S.-led Coalition forces in Khost on Thursday morning but caused no damage.

    Three soldiers of the NATO-led forces have been killed in Improvised Explosive Device strikes over the past couple of days in south Afghanistan.

    Taliban militants have resorted to suicide attacks and roadside bombings as over a dozen people mostly civilians have been killed and more than 50 others sustained injuries since early weekend.