Insurgents crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan and attacked a US patrol, and 12 rebels were believed killed when US-led forces retaliated with the help of an aircraft, a US military spokeswoman said today.
One US soldier was wounded in the clash last night.
"Four insurgents crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan and attacked a US patrol with small-arms fire," Lieutenant Cindy Moore said.
A US war plane attacked the four and eight of their comrades as they fled back towards the nearby border with Pakistan, she said. The 12 were reported killed, she said. An Afghan provincial official said the gunmen were Taliban.
Afghan government and US military accusations that Taliban and other Islamic militants are able to operate from Pakistan have angered Pakistan, a US ally which has been trying to clear militants from its side of the border.
Lt Moore said Pakistani border forces had cooperated with US forces in their pursuit of the rebels.
A rash of bloody clashes in recent weeks has dashed US and Afghan government hopes that the Taliban might be running out of recruits and resources. But the US military says the rebels are getting weaker. It attributes the recent clashes to more aggressive patrolling by US-led and Afghan government troops.