Two NATO soldiers who went missing in northwest Afghanistan two days ago died by drowning, an Afghan police official said on Friday, explaining that the deaths appeared accidental.
"Two days ago, a NATO forces aircraft dropped some logistical packages for a NATO base in the province and a number of these packages went into the river nearby," the deputy police chief of Badghis province, Abdul Jabar, told AFP.
"Two NATO soldiers went to take these packages from the river and drowned," he said.
The soldiers' bodies have not yet been recovered, he added.
"During the search, we clashed with Taliban and three of them were killed. We still haven't been able to find the two missing soldiers. The search operation is still ongoing," he said.
The loss of the soldiers prompted a massive manhunt.
Their identities and nationalities remained undisclosed, although NATO earlier said their families were being kept informed.
NATO forces deployed in western Afghanistan mainly come from Italy, Lithuania, Spain and the United States.
