Kabul  - Two British soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, bringing the total number of foreign soldiers killed in the country over the weekend to nine, the British military said Monday.

The soldiers were were part of British forces stationed in Helmand province with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the British Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The incident took place in the Garmsir district as the soldiers were conducting patrols in the area, the ministry said.

Another British soldier was killed in the same province Saturday while a French soldier also serving in the ISAF was killed in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Four US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the eastern province of Nangarhar Sunday while a German soldier was killed in a traffic accident in the north.

More than 70,000 international forces are stationed in Afghanistan under the commands of NATO and a US-led military coalition. The United States plans to send 17,000 additional troops this year.

After 2008 proved to be the deadliest year in Afghanistan after the 2001 fall of the Taliban - claiming the lives of nearly 300 international soldiers - Afghan and NATO military officials predicted a "tougher fight" this year after the weather warms. (dpa)