Six soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed Friday during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, said an ISAF statement released here on Saturday.

Nineteen more soldiers, including eight from NATO and 11 from Afghan army, were injured in the battle, the statement added. "Six ISAF service members and three Afghan National Army Soldiers were killed yesterday during fighting that began around 4: 00 p.m. local time in eastern Afghanistan," it said.

The incident occurred when the troops came under militants' attack, it added.

However, it did not identify the nationalities of the victims, saying, "The nationalities and names of the wounded are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin."

Militancy and conflicts have claimed lives of more than 5,600 people since January this year in war-torn Afghanistan.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2007)