| US forces called in air strikes against suspected Taliban positions on Friday after two US soldiers and at least five militants were killed in a clash in central Afghanistan, the US military said. The fighting in Uruzgan province, south of the capital Kabul, occurred amid a stepped up hunt by US forces for Taliban and al Qaeda militants, including Osama Bin Laden. US and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers came under fire on Thursday while on patrol in a village in Uruzganâs Tarin Kot district, U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Bryan Hilferty told a news briefing. The soldiers returned fire, killing at least five attackers. Two US soldiers were wounded, one of whom was evacuated to Germany for treatment, he said. Hilferty said the US soldiers were from the 10th Mountain Division, but did not identify them. âCoalition and ANA operations continue in this area,â he said. âEarly this morning we re-engaged the enemy with direct fire and fire support from US aircraft.â Hilferty did not give details of the latest engagement or say whether it had inflicted any casualties. He said the area was one in which Taliban guerrillas were active. |