KABUL, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - A total of five U.S. soldiers have been killed in three separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, a NATO press spokesperson said on Friday.

Three soldiers died in a roadside blast, while another two were shot by Taliban militants in two different parts of Afghanistan.

U.S. spokesperson Capt. Regina Gillis confirmed that all the dead were U.S. citizens.

Over 371 foreign troops have died this year in Afghanistan of which 213 were U.S. military personnel. There are currently some 100,000 military personnel in Afghanistan, 65,000 are U.S. troops.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, who commands U.S. troops, is expected to request an extra 10,000 troops be sent to Afghanistan to help deal with the upsurge in violence that has hit the region in recent months.