The Afghan Defense Ministry says its soldiers have killed at least seven insurgents near where militants breached a U.S. military outpost in eastern Afghanistan.

The ministry said Tuesday the operation took place Monday near Wanat village in Nuristan province's Waygal district.

Local authorities say Afghan and foreign soldiers also briefly detained the district administrator and police chief for questioning about their alleged cooperation with the Taliban.
The soldiers are searching for militants who may have been involved in an attack on a U.S. outpost in the same district Sunday. NATO previously said the attack happened in neighboring Kunar province.

Nine U.S. troops were killed in the raid - one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since 2001.

U.S. President George Bush today acknowledged the difficult fight in Afghanistan.

He noted that members of the coalition fighting in Afghanistan have already announced plans to send additional forces there, including troops from the United States and France.

Separately today, the Afghan Defense Ministry reported that Afghan soldiers killed 12 Taliban militants in the central province of Wardak.

In western Afghanistan, Afghan police say unidentified gunmen have kidnapped two Turkish nationals working for a private construction company outside Herat.

No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, the latest in a series of kidnappings in Herat.

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