One U.S. soldier was killed Monday when Taliban militants attacked the military vehicle belonging to a U.S. patrol in eastern Afghan province of Laghman, the U.S. military said in a press release.

"One U.S. service member was killed today when enemy forces northwest of Methar Lam in Laghman province opened fire on a U.S. patrol," the press release said.

"The patrol quickly pursued the enemy, returning fire and requesting close-air support. The enemy fled the area. No battle- damage assessment was available," it added.

In a separate incident at a place south of Khost, Afghan and U. S. forces engaged two enemy fighters near a boarder-control point, killing one and wounding the other. Two border policemen were also wounded in the incident. The wounded policemen were flown to a nearby forward operating base for treatment and were listed in stable condition.

After the collapse of Taliban in late 2001, about 20,000 U.S.- led coalition troops stayed in Afghanistan for further cleanup operation. Till now, more than 200 U.S. soldiers were killed in the Taliban-linked militancy.

This year, the U.S. military planned to reduce its troops from 19,000 to about 16,000 and share the burden of anti-terrorism with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Source: Xinhua