Afghan violence claims more lives

Violence has risen sharply over the past month

Two US-led coalition soldiers have been killed in separate clashes with suspected Taleban militants in Afghanistan, the US military says.

A number of suspected insurgents were also killed or hurt in air strikes which followed, a spokesman said.

In the south-east, officials say four civilians were killed by mortars fired over the border from Pakistan.

Attacks blamed on the Taleban and their allies have risen sharply this year, with hundreds of people killed.

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Afghanistan

More than 30 foreign soldiers have been killed in action in Afghanistan this year, most of them American.

On Sunday, a UK soldier and another member of the US-led coalition were killed in separate incidents in the south.

UK back-up

One coalition soldier was killed late on Tuesday in southern Helmand province, while a second died on Wednesday in the eastern province of Kunar, the US military said.

The statement did not divulge their nationalities, but US military officials in southern Afghanistan told the Associated Press news agency the soldier killed in Helmand was American.

British troops were first on the scene to provide back-up in Helmand's Sangin district, Lt Col Chris Toner told AP. Two other US soldiers were wounded.

He said 12 "suspected Taleban" had been killed or wounded in aerial bombing after the ambush.

Two other Taleban fighters were killed in a clash in the province of Zabul, the US military said.

Local officials said one Taleban fighter was also killed in Ghazni province.

In Paktika province, Governor Mohammad Akram Khpalwak told the BBC that in addition to those killed at least 18 other civilians had been hurt when mortars were fired over the border from Pakistan.

It is not clear who launched the attack. The governor blamed Pakistani forces for firing the mortars and said Afghan troops had returned fire.

There has been no word from Islamabad.

Violence rising

The past month has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest since 2001.

Last week, coalition forces said that more than 40 suspected Taleban militants had been killed in clashes in Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.

On Monday, the Afghan army said up to 37 suspected Taleban fighters had been killed in fighting in three southern provinces in the previous 24 hours.

There are more than 26,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, of which 18,500 are US. The remaining 7,500 come from another 25 countries.