One US soldier and an insurgent were killed on Sunday when up to 20 militants attacked a coalition military unit in troubled southern Afghanistan, the US military said. Another American soldier and a coalition interpreter, as well as two enemy fighters were wounded in the gunfight in the Ghrishk district of Helmand province, some 520 kilometres southwest of Kabul.
"A US soldier was killed today and another wounded when their unit was attacked by 15 to 20 enemies in southwestern Afghanistan," the US military said in a statement. "In returning fire, US and Afghan forces killed one enemy and wounded two others."
All the injured had been medically treated and the two coalition personnel were later released. The condition of the attackers, identified only as "enemy fighters", was unknown. US attack aircraft and helicopters had responded to the scene of the clash and forces from the Kandahar Airfield base were also searching for the attackers, who had fled.