US soldiers killed in Afghanistan

US troops have battled insurgents in Paktika for years

Two US soldiers have been killed in an attack on a military base in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika.

The US military said the two died in a blast during the attack which injured seven other US and two Afghan troops.

Local officials say the attack included an attempted suicide lorry bombing of the base in Zirok district. Nato said 10 militants died in the fighting.

The attack comes as thousands of US and UK troops are on the offensive against militants in southern Helmand province.

The operation in Helmand is the biggest since the American-led invasion of 2001 and comes ahead of Afghan presidential elections scheduled for August.

British forces in Helmand say they have so far encountered little resistance from the Taliban. Troops are moving into a large swathe of territory in Helmand province that had been a stronghold for insurgents.

'Random fire'

The US military called the attack on the base in Zirok "complex".

Nato said insurgents attacked the base with multiple rockets and mortars, as well as small arms fire and "a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device".

A statement said Afghan and Nato-led troops "responded with counter fire, close air support and attack helicopters, killing at least 10 of the attackers and detaining one".

Earlier, local officials said an attempted suicide lorry bombing of the base had sparked a fierce two-hour gunbattle.

Nato and Paktika's Governor, Abdul Qayum Katawazi, both said there were no reports of civilian casualties.

In other violence:

• seven Afghan policemen are killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, the interior ministry says
• two Afghan soldiers are killed in a blast in Musa Qala district of Helmand province, the defence ministry says
• Nato says one of its soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb in the south on Friday

Paktika, which borders Pakistan's Waziristan region, is among Afghan provinces worst hit by the insurgency.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says local intelligence reports suggest hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters have crossed the border in recent weeks to fight Afghan and foreign forces.

The latest violence in Paktika follows the capture by militants of an American soldier and three Afghans in the province on Tuesday.