"The fighting began in the early morning hours and continued into the day as insurgents were repulsed from an Afghan National Army and ISAF combat outpost," a statement by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
The dead soldiers were all American, a NATO official said. Fifteen ISAF troops and four Afghan soldiers were also wounded in the fighting.
"Although no final assessment has been made, it is believed insurgents suffered heavy casualties during several hours of fighting," it said. The fighting took place in the northeastern province of Kunar, close to the border with Pakistan and also to neighboring Nuristan province.
Afghanistan is suffering from a rising tide of violence this year, with a sharp increase in Taliban attacks, especially in the east where NATO says militants have taken advantage of peace deals in Pakistan to cross the border and fight in Afghanistan.
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