Kabul, 19 Nov. (AKI) - Two US soldiers under NATO command were killed and two others were wounded in a suicide car bombing at the entrance of their base in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, police said. A source at the US military base in the restive Shah Joe district of Zabul province confirmed the attack, Afghan news agency Pajhwok said.

The Taliban immediately claimed the attack which occurred hours after president Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term of office.

In his speech, Karzai said he hoped that Afghan security forces would take over the country's security from international troops within five years.

Jilani Farahe, deputy chief of police for the province, said a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near the gate of a NATO base. He said no civilians had been hurt in the blast.

The Taliban claimed the explosion killed 22 Americans and destroyed their four military vehicles.

Thursday's troop fatalities brought to 292 the number of US troops killed in Afghanistan since January.

More than 470 foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan this year, the deadliest year so far for the more than 100,000 international troops stationed in the country.