Kabul - Two German soldiers were injured Wednesday in a bombing in northern Afghanistan, one critically, an Afghan official said.

A remote-controlled bomb was used to attack an armoured vehicle of the German army in the district of Chardara in Kunduz province, provincial Governor Engineer Mohammed Omar told Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa.

He blamed Taliban militants and the al-Qaeda terrorist network for the attack.

According to initial information obtained by dpa, the soldiers' patrol was hit by a roadside bomb about 6 kilometres south of the provincial capital, also called Kunduz.

Three weeks ago, three German soldiers were injured in a similar attack in a neighbouring province, for which Taliban militants claimed responsibility.

In May 2007, three German soldiers and eight civilians were killed in an attack in Kunduz, making it the worst strike on Germans serving in the region as part of international forces.

Germany's government is to decide in early October on extending the army's mandate in Afghanistan after the security situation there deteriorated this year with roadside bombings, in particular, increasing.

Aid organizations said more than 3,000 people have been killed this year in clashes and attacks, among them about 1,000 civilians. (dpa)