US-led and Afghan forces killed three suspected al-Qaeda fighters and arrested three more in a raid today.
The raid was aimed at an al-Qaeda operative linked to a series of roadside and car bombings in the eastern province of Khost, bordering Pakistan.
"Upon arrival, the assault force received small arms fire from the targeted building," a US military statement said. "The ground force returned fire, killing the three terrorists. The other three were detained on site without incident."
Weapons and ammunition were destroyed at the site, near the village of Ya'Qubi. There were no casualties among the raiding party.
The latest operation comes less than two weeks after four other al-Qaeda suspects were arrested in a similar raid in Khost.
Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since US-led forces toppled the hardline Islamist Taliban government, allied to al Qaeda, in 2001.
The bloodshed is particularly bad in the Taliban's southern heartland, where it has regrouped and is staging a series of attacks and bombings against Afghan and Nato troops.