A car-bomber has detonated his car filled with explosives outside a base of Nato-led peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, killing two Afghans and wounding seven others.

Saturday's attack was the latest on foreign forces. It occurred near the gates of the base in the western city of Herat, near the border with Iran, which is home to hundreds of Italian soldiers.

Mohammed Ayub Salingi, the police chief, said the attacker drove a vehicle up to the gates of the base and detonated explosives inside the car.

One of the dead was an Afghan guard at the base, while the other was a passer-by, he said.

Warrant Officer Cosimo Argentieri, a spokesman for the Nato force, confirmed the blast and said no foreign troops were killed.

He said one foreign civilian inside the base was slightly wounded.

Taliban followers fighting to expel foreign troops and overthrow the Western-backed government have unleashed a wave of violence in recent weeks, including attacks on military bases, ambushes and roadside attacks.

PHOTO CAPTION

Afghan police and security personnel watch cars burn after the attack in the western city of Herat, Afghanistan April 8, 2006. (REUTERS)