Kandahar, Afghanistan ? Suicide bombers killed eight people, including two U.S.-led coalition soldiers, in Kandahar on Saturday, officials said. A purported Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blasts and warned of more as NATO prepares to take control of the volatile southern region.

The southern regions, in particular, have witnessed some fighting since the toppling of the Taliban regime in late 2001, and the militants have stepped up suicide attacks and assaults on Afghan and coalition forces as NATO beefs up its forces in the country to 16,000 from 9,700.

Saturday’s attacks underscored the dangers there. In the first bombing, a suicide attacker rammed an explosive-laden car into a coalition vehicle, killing two soldiers and wounding another eight, said Maj. Scott Lundy, a U.S.-led coalition forces spokesman.

In the second attack, which occurred shortly after the first about 100 feet away, another attacker approached a crowd of people and detonated his vest, killing six bystanders and wounding another 20, said Dawood Ahmadi, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar, adding that both bombers died in the attack.