3 NATO troops killed in east Afghanistan

Three NATO service members have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the target was a U.S. military convoy.

NATO's statement said that the deaths occurred Tuesday, but provided no further details about the incident or the nationalities of the troops.

The Taliban said the attack took place in Paktiya province, about 100 kilometers south of Kabul. The latest deaths bring December's toll of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan to 23, for a total of 539 deaths so far this year. The yearly tally is considerably lower than for 2010, when more than 700 troops died.

The number of wounded has remained high, dipping only slightly from last year's total of more than 5,000 service members.

Also Tuesday, a community council leader in the Musa Qala district of restive Helmand province was shot and killed by insurgents along with his 20-year-old son and two-year-old grandson, the governor's office said. A statement from the office said the attack occurred late in the evening, as council leader Adbdul Baqi was heading home from his office.

There were no further details. The U.S.-led coalition has started transitioning parts of Helmand to the government as part of a plan to cede full control of the country's security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.