KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Two U.S. Special Operations soldiers died and two others were injured Thursday during a battle in Afghanistan's Kunduz province, military officials said.
Afghan government troops and elite U.S. forces on a "train, advise, assist" mission were targeting Taliban commanders northeast of the city of Kunduz when they came under heavy gunfire, officials from the U.S.-led coalition said. Three Afghan special forces troops also died in the attack.
The names of the victims were not immediately reported.
"Despite today's tragic event, we are steadfast in our commitment to help our Afghan partners defend their nation," said Army Gen. John Nicholson, the United States' top military commander in Afghanistan.
The city of Kunduz was captured by Taliban militants in October for the second time this year, but was freed by U.S. and Afghan troops after 10 days of fighting. The Taliban remain in the suburbs, and urban residents fear another attack may soon come. The back-and-forth nature of the city's control is indicative of the Afghan government's tenuous hold on security and its military's dependence on the United States for aerial and ground support, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
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