One of the six US Special Forces troops missing in Afghan eastern province of Kunar since Tuesday has been rescued, a US official said Sunday.

The rescued one member of the team was in good condition, the official added.

The searching operation is still going on for the rest of the team members.

One US Chinook helicopter was shot down Tuesday in Kunar province by a rocket propelled grenade when it was carrying on the searching operation for the missing US ground team. 16 US troops, including eight Navy SEALs were killed.

Taliban has claimed the responsibility for the attack.

It's the first helicopter to be shot down in Afghanistan since2001. The casualties were also the heaviest for US forces in combat in Afghanistan.

After the accident, US carried out the searching operation and US warplanes bombed a military compound in Kunar province at about5:30 PM on Friday.

After the collapse of Taliban at the end of 2001, a US-led coalition of over 18,000 soldiers remains in the country hunting down remnants of the Taliban and other Islamic militants. There have been more than 160 US troops killed in and around Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2005)