9 killed in Afghan ambush
2007-11-10 14:37
Kabul - Six US troops and three Afghan soldiers died when insurgents ambushed their foot patrol in eastern Afghanistan, one of the deadliest attacks on American forces this year, officials said on Saturday.
The troops were returning from a meeting with village elders on Friday afternoon in Nuristan province when militants attacked them with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, said Lt Col David Accetta.
"They were attacked from several enemy positions at the same time," said Accetta, a spokesperson for Nato's International Security Assistance Force and the US military. "It was a complex ambush."
Eight more Americans and 11 Afghans were wounded. The 14 total US casualties was the highest number of killed and wounded in fighting in Afghanistan this year, Accetta said.
Mohammad Daoud Nadim, Nuristan deputy police chief, said the ambush happened in the remote province's Waygal district.
He said military aircraft fired on enemy positions but had no information on any casualties among the militants.
- AP