KABUL, Afghanistan  —  A U.S. soldier and an Afghan soldier have been killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan (search), the U.S. military said Saturday.

The small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade attack on Friday also wounded another U.S. soldier and two Afghan National Army (search) troops during combat operations north of the city of Kandahar, the military said.

The three wounded soldiers were taken to a nearby forward operating base for treatment, according to a statement from the main U.S. base at Bagram (search), north of the capital, Kabul.

The American's death brought to 198 the number of U.S. service members killed in and around Afghanistan since the 2001 campaign that drove the hard-line Taliban from power.

Violence blamed on Taliban insurgents has escalated this year, with more than 1,300 people killed during the past seven months, including hundreds of rebels. Most of the fighting has been in volatile southern and eastern Afghanistan, where U.S.-led coalition forces operate.