Coalition forces captured two suspected al-Qaida members during an early morning raid in eastern Afghanistan today, a military statement said.

Militants used machine guns to ambush a police patrol in western Afghanistan, killing six policemen and wounding three others, an official said today, as a think tank warned more foreign troops are needed to secure the country.

A US commando has been shot in the leg during an ambush in western Afghanistan, a military spokesman said today.

The remains of 44 anti-Taliban fighters believed to have been massacred in a battle six months ago have been buried.

There are reports emerging that five Taliban soldiers were killed in air strikes on the Shindand air base at Herat in western Afghanistan.

The first US/British strikes in Afghanistan were focused on military targets such as airfields and command centres.