Four US soldiers killed fighting militants in Afghanistan

Four US soldiers were killed and another was wounded while fighting militants in eastern Afghanistan, the military said today.

The soldiers were killed in combat yesterday in eastern Nuristan province while conducting security operations to block the movement of enemy forces, a coalition statement said.

One soldier was wounded in the fighting in the province’s Kamdesh district and evacuated for treatment. He is in stable condition, the military said.

Ground troops and attack planes were called in to continue the assault through the night, the military said. It was unclear if there were any enemy casualties.

Afghan and coalition forces have been operating in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border since mid-April targeting al-Qaida and Taliban militants.