Kabul - Taliban insurgents killed one NATO soldier in southern Afghanistan, while an ambush on a NATO supply convoy left 10 militants and five Afghan security guards dead, officials said Saturday.

The soldier, whose nationality was withheld by the coalition's statement, was killed when his patrol was attacked by insurgents on Friday.

The statement did not provide details about the exact location of the incident.

Britain's military said one of its paratroopers was killed in the southern province Helmand, when a patrol ran into insurgents.

British, Canadian, Dutch and US troops are deployed to volatile southern regions of the country, where Taliban militants are the most entrenched.

Taliban militants Saturday attacked a convoy hauling supplies for the NATO forces in the western Farah province, said Rohullah Amin, the provincial governor.

The ambush sparked a fierce battle between the attackers and guards from a private security company that was escorting the convoy, Amin said, adding that the firefight left 10 militants and five Afghan security guards dead.

He said three other security guards were presumed to have been kidnapped by the militants, who fled the area after the reinforcements were deployed.

Attacks by Taliban-led insurgents have been on the rise since spring this year, leaving more than 4,000 people - mostly insurgents -dead. (dpa)