U.S. Soldier, Afghan Police Chief Killed In Fighting; 26 IS Fighters Killed By Air Strikes

The U.S. military has announced that a U.S. soldier was killed and four others were wounded during "combat engagement" in eastern Afghanistan.

In a January 2 statement, U.S. military officials said the battle had occurred on January 1 in Achin in Nangarhar Province.

"Two wounded service members are being treated at a nearby medical treatment facility and are in stable condition," the statement said. "The other service members have returned to duty."

Officials did not disclose which branch of the military the troops were from, and no other information was immediately available.

In western Afghanistan, a spokesman for the governor of Farah Province said a district police chief was killed on January 2 by a Taliban ambush as he rushed to a checkpoint that was under attack.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the governor of the northern province of Jawzjan said air strikes in the area on January 2 killed at least 26 Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Spokesman Mohammad Reza Ghafori said those killed included foreign fighters from France and Uzbekistan.

Some of the IS fighters killed in the air strikes are thought to have arrived in Afghanistan recently from battlefields in Syria.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and Dawn