Seven people died, including two children, when US-led forces tried to detain a suspected Taliban militant in a village near the Pakistani border, the military said Thursday.

The battle broke out on Tuesday when soldiers from the US-led coalition went to the village in southeastern Paktika Province in search of Raz Mohammed, who the military said was implicated in attacks against its troops.

"Coalition troops were fired on by Raz Mohammed and other Taliban forces when they attempted to capture Mohammed," the military said in a statement. "During the ensuing fire-fight, Mohammed and two other enemy insurgents were killed. An Afghan woman and two children also died."

An Afghan helping the coalition troops also was killed. It was unclear if he was a member of the Afghan security forces or an informer.

Another child and a second Afghan working with the coalition were wounded, the statement said. The child was reported in stable condition.

Mullah Hakim Latifi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said the clash occurred on Wednesday afternoon when US troops surrounded the tents where Mohammed was living in Waza Khwa, an impoverished district on the Pakistani border.

"Mohammed resisted the US forces," Latifi said.

He confirmed the death of Mohammed, who he said was a senior military commander in eastern Laghman Province before the Taliban's ouster in 2001 and said his wife and six of his children were also killed. Latifi claimed that eight American soldiers had perished in the battle, but the American military said none of its soldiers were hurt.

(China Daily March 25, 2005)