NATO: 2 US soldiers killed in Afghan firefight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KABUL (AP) — NATO and Afghan forces came under heavy fire while searching a compound in eastern Afghanistan, sparking a gunbattle that killed two U.S. soldiers and five insurgents, NATO said Friday.
Among the dead was a Taliban commander with ties to the Haqqani group, a Pakistan-based Afghan Taliban faction with close ties to al-Qaida, NATO said.
The casualties came during a joint military operation in the Puli Alam district, where coalition forces had gotten word of "insurgent activity" in the compound.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As the combined force approached the compound they began receiving hostile fire from different points, including heavy machine gun fire," NATO said in a statement.
A search of the compound later turned up automatic rifles, material for making roadside bombs and blasting caps.