GI, Afghan Killed in Battle With Gunmen

One U.S. soldier and an Afghan were killed today when American troops clashed with gunmen during a search operation in western Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

The troops came under attack from “enemy forces” while searching a compound near Shindand airfield in Herat province early this morning and returned fire, a military statement said.

“The Afghan citizen died at the scene,” the statement said. “The U.S. soldier was wounded in the attack and ... died a short time later at the airfield as a result of wounds received.”

The soldier’s name was being withheld until his next of kin could be notified.

The military didn’t identify the Afghan who was killed, or say whether he was a suspected militant or a bystander.

But a local militia commander, Akhtar Mohammed Husseini, said the compound belonged to a former militia leader called Mullah Dost.

“There was fire from both sides. Mullah Dost was killed along with his wife,” Husseini told Associated Press by telephone. “The Americans wanted to search his house, but we don’t know who fired first.”

The gun battle came hours after an Afghan official said that security forces reported they had arrested a Tajik suspected of organizing the deadly car bombing of a U.S. security firm in the Afghan capital and believe he was acting on the orders of Al Qaeda.

The suspect, Mohammed Haidar, confessed to his leading role in the Aug. 29 attack, which killed about 10 people, including three Americans, Afghan state television reported.