Afghan and U.S. officials say a clash between Taleban insurgents and Afghan soldiers backed by U.S. troops in southern Helmand province has left one American soldier and seven insurgents dead.

A military statement says another U.S. service member and an Afghan soldier were wounded in Saturday's fierce fighting in the province's Sangin district.

The statement says fighting erupted after Afghan and U.S. troops backed by planes and helicopter gunships attacked enemy positions, dropping 11 bombs.

Helmand province has been a hotbed of insurgent activity since U.S.-led forces ousted the hard-line Islamist Taleban rulers of Afghanistan in late 2001, following the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.