US troops have fought insurgents in south-eastern Afghanistan's Zabul province just days after four special operations soldiers were killed in the same region, American and Afghan officials said Wednesday.
The latest firefight occurred on Monday in Shin Kay district about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south-east of the provincial capital Qalat, US-led coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tucker Mansager said.
"We did have an engagement... on Monday of this week where some of our special operation forces engaged a number of anti-coalition militia in the vicinity of Shin Kay," Mansager told a press conference in Kabul.
"No casualties on the coalition side and a number of casualties on the anti-coalition militia," he said without mentioning how many rebels were killed or injured.
The firefight follows the deaths of four special operations soldiers Saturday when their vehicle hit a mine some 30 kilometres east of Qalat.
The two incidents are not linked, according to Mansager, who said he did not have information on the number of insurgents killed or wounded in the encounter.
A military spokesman for neighbouring Kandahar province General Abdul Wasay confirmed the incident.
"We also don't know how many enemies were killed but I can confirm there was an engagement," he told AFP.
Wasay said militants also attacked a government building near Qalat on Tuesday night.
"Last night, in an attack by enemies, three government soldiers were wounded and one was killed," Wasay said, adding that several civilian vehicles were stolen by the attackers.
Some 20,000 US-led coalition soldiers are in Afghanistan to hunt and kill Taleban, Al-Qaeda and other militants. The coalition force is at its highest level since the beginning of the war against terror in late 2001.
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