One US Marine was killed and another injured in a firefight with suspected Taliban forces in Afghanistan as coalition forces opened up a new front against al-Qaeda-backed extremists, the US military said on Saturday.
The coalition troops came under attack overnight near Tirin Kot, the capital of the insurgency-hit southern province of Uruzgan, Colonel Tucker Mansager said.
Uruzgan, where two Marines were injured last week, is considered a stronghold of the ousted Taliban militia. It is also the home province of the Taliban's fugitive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
"Coalition forces have reported coming under attack overnight south of Tirin Kot. One US Marine was killed and one wounded," Mansager said, adding that the soldier's name was being withheld until next of kin were notified.
"These people [Marines] were out on a mission away from their base when this attack occured," Mansager said, without elaborating. "I can say that it was as the result of a direct fire engagement with anti-coalition militias."
About 2,700 Marines with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit were deployed to Afghanistan in April to bolster the US-led force's campaign to stamp out Taliban and al-Qaeda militants engaged in a drawn-out guerrilla insurgency.
The Marines, whose deployment swells the 15,000-strong coalition force to its largest level since operations began in late 2001, set up a new base last week just outside Tirin Kot.
A US military official said the Marine's death was the first American combat casualty in Afghanistan since two Marines died in a helicopter crash in January, 2002.
The death, which brought to 112 the number of US-led coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan since late 2001 in combat and accidents, comes as the country struggles with security ahead of landmark elections in September.
Two British security workers and their Afghan interpreter were killed by unknown attackers in northeastern Nuristan province earlier in the week as they were aiding UN efforts to register 10 million Afghan voters ahead of the polls.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview on Friday that he was confident the elections, already postponed from June, would go ahead despite slow voter registration and security problems.
Meanwhile, Mansager urged Pakistan to continue its operation against suspected militants believed to be hiding in the rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
"We fully expect that the Pakistan government and military will continue to pursue the elimination of terrorists in that area until the problem is completely resolved," he said.
A major offensive by Pakistani troops in the tribal South Waziristan region in March left 124 people dead, including 46 troops and 63 militants. At least 15 civilians also died.
Pakistan on Saturday extended by two days a deadline for the registration of hundreds of foreign fighters believed to be hiding the region, officials said.
Under an April 24 deal, foreign militants can stay in the region provided they register with local authorities and pledge to lead a peaceful life.
Pakistani officials said dozens of US soldiers crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan Friday while probing a shooting incident on their side.
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