US soldier among 13 killed in fighting in southern Afghanistan

One US soldier, together with one Afghan soldier and 11 militants were killed Monday in a fighting in Afghanistan's southern province of Uruzgan, US military said.

Three US soldiers and one Afghan soldier were also wounded in the battle when about 15 to 30 militants attacked the forces in Deh Rawod district of Uruzgan, it added.

The US and Afghan forces later sent attack aircraft and helicopters to the scene and fired at the militants. About eight militants were captured in the afterwards searching operation.

A US soldier was killed and another injured in an attack by suspected Taliban militants Sunday in the southern province of Helmand.

On the same day, six US soldiers were wounded when their military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in the eastern province of Kunar.

The death toll brings to more than 170 the number of US troops killed in and around Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001.

After the collapse of the former Taliban regime in 2001, about 18,000 US soldiers remain in the mountainous Afghanistan for further investigation and clearance of Taliban remains and other militants.

Source: Xinhua