A soldier with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan was killed Wednesday in an insurgent attack in the east of the country, the force said.

The multinational International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did not provide the nationality of the soldier killed or any details about the attack.

"Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the family and friends of the brave soldier who was killed during this tragic event on Christmas Eve," ISAF spokesman Captain Mark Windsor said in a statement.

About 70,000 international soldiers are currently deployed in Afghanistan, most of them operating under NATO command, to help Kabul try to defeat an insurgency led by the Taliban, who were in government between 1996 and 2001.

Nearly 290 foreign soldiers fighting in Afghanistan have died this year, the most violent year yet of an insurgency that began in 2001 after a US-led invasion toppled the Taliban regime.

Most of the soldiers have been killed in insurgent attacks but the tally, compiled by the icasualties.org website that tracks casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, includes those who die in accidents and from natural causes.