Five police officers were also killed in the fighting, which erupted near the city of Kandahar and lasted for several hours.
Also yesterday, the U.S. military said seven suspected bomb makers were arrested during a search in eastern Khost Province
A French soldier was killed today in a blast during a mine clearance operation near Afghanistan's main international airport in the capital, Kabul.
And two Canadian soldiers were wounded today when their convoy hit a roadside bomb in Kandahar Province.
(Reuters, AFP, AP)