Two Afghan soldiers were killed Monday morning in an explosion in the country 's southern province of Helmand, said a provincial government spokesman.

"One Afghan National Army (ANA) van touched off an improvised explosive device (IED) in Band-e Barq area of Gereshk district at around 6:00 a.m. local time. Three soldiers were aboard the vehicle. Two soldiers were martyred and one was wounded in the blast," spokesman Omar Zwak told Xinhua.

He said no passer-by was hurt in the explosion in the province 555 km south of national capital Kabul.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched annual rebel offensive in April against Afghan government forces and about 98,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country.

The Taliban uses IEDs to launch roadside bombings against security forces.

Helmand is notorious for growing poppy and is a known Taliban hotbed.