Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have killed a US soldier and wounded others in repelling an attack in eastern Afghanistan described as the biggest battle since the Taliban were routed last December.
Afghan soldiers, who went into the battle aided by US advisers and B-52 bombers, said in their initial assault they were forced to retreat under withering fire from 3,000 to 5,000 diehard fighters in bunkers on snowy mountains in Paktia Province.
They said there were a number of Arab and other foreign fighters among their foes.
The US military said at least one US service member and two Afghan troops were killed and others wounded in the battle that started at 2 a.m. today (9 p.m. yesterday Irish time) east of Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province.
"US, coalition and Afghan forces have sustained casualties," the US Central Command said in a release from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida. "Initial reports are that one US service member and two Afghan forces have been killed. an unspecified number of US and Afghan forces have been injured."
US military officials said the assault was the biggest offensive carried out by US and Afghan troops since Taliban and al Qaeda forces were routed by US-led attacks that brought down the Taliban in early December.
The Afghan soldiers said they feared some of their units might have been cut off or surrounded in the battle about 30 kilometres east of Gardez near the Pakistan border.
Pakistan, which backs the US war in Afghanistan, sealed its border to stop Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters escaping from the offensive.