Two US Marines were wounded when their patrol was ambushed by Taleban guerrillas in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said on Sunday. They came under fire early Saturday evening on a routine mission north of the city of Jalalabad. Remnants of the Taleban militia and their allies led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar have been active in the area. Both of the wounded were hit in the shoulder by shrapnel after their unit received rocket-propelled grenade, automatic weapons and machine-gun fire.
"The anti-coalition militia members retreated after the ambush. The Marines conducted a search of the area and continued their mission," the statement said.
The attack was carried out by Taleban fighters, one of the militants' commanders, Mullah Dadullah, told Reuters.
After a lull over the harsh winter months there are some signs of increased militant activity in recent weeks.
In the south-east province of Khost, Taleban fighters fired some seven rockets, striking the Salerno US military base and a nearby airport without causing any casualties, General Mohammad Ayoob, Khost's police chief, said.
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