3 soldiers, 30 militants killed in Afghanistan

Three soldiers in the NATO-led force and 30 militants were killed Wednesday in Afghanistan.
The soldiers died when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the eastern part of the country, the International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

The force did not name the soldiers or identify their nationalities.

Meanwhile, Afghan commandoes and U.S. forces killed 30 militants in an operation in Lagham province in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

According to the U.S. military, militants opened fire as U.S. and Afghan forces approached their location. U.S. and Afghan forces returned fire and called for air support.

The U.S. and Afghan forces later found and destroyed a large cache of mortar rounds and materials for making roadside bombs, the military said.

The operation comes amid an increase in violence in Afghanistan. Ten French soldiers were killed in a clash with insurgents near the capital, Kabul, on Tuesday.

Seven militants were killed after they tried to storm a U.S. military outpost in eastern Afghanistan the same day, the NATO-led force said.