BAGRAM, Dec 21: An American soldier died of gunshot wounds in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday after suspected Al Qaeda militants fired on a patrol unit, the US military said.

It was the first death of a US serviceman from hostile fire in Afghanistan since May 19, and followed Tuesday’s grenade attack in Kabul in which two American servicemen and their Afghan interpreter were wounded.

Another US soldier was wounded in a rocket attack on Friday, while another was wounded in a training accident the same day.

General Richard Myers, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, dismissed concern the security situation might be worsening in Afghanistan, but said there were still some very dangerous areas, especially in the east.

“We did have a tragic death last night, but I don’t think that has anything to do with the situation,” he said while paying a pre-Christmas visit to troops at Bagram air base, the headquarters of the US military in Afghanistan.

“My assessment is that things continue to improve in Afghanistan for the people of Afghanistan, and that we are making progress every day,” Myers told reporters.

US military spokesman Major Stephen Clutter said an American patrol had spotted a group of seven to nine Al Qaeda suspects while on a routine patrol around 4am on Saturday near the village of Shkin in Paktika province.

When some of the Americans got out of their vehicles to investigate, the suspects ran away, Clutter said.

The soldier was evacuated to a nearby US base for treatment but died during surgery.—Reuters