US soldier killed in Afghanistan

The first US soldier has been killed by hostile fire in Afghanistan.

A member of the US Special Forces has been killed by small arms fire in eastern Afghanistan, said General Tommy Franks, the head of US Central Command.

At a Central Command briefing Franks said the member was on a mission "to coordinate with local tribal elements in the vicinity of Gardez Khost." The victim's name was not released, pending notification of his family.

Franks said the specifics of the incident were not known yet.

He said the dead soldier was a member of an Army Special Forces unit and that no other members of the unit were harmed.

"We had a Special Forces member killed earlier today, by small arms fire," Franks said. "I am mindful of the cost that these young people pay in order to support this very, very important campaign."

Word of the killing came after news that US B-52s dropped bombs for the second day in a row on a suspected terrorist training camp in eastern Afghanistan.