KABUL, June 25: Two coalition soldiers were killed during combat in southern Afghanistan that also left about 45 suspected militants dead, military officials said on Sunday, as President Hamid Karzai called for more coordination between coalition and tribal leaders during counter-terrorism operations.

The two soldiers were wounded during a four-hour gunbattle on Saturday and later died at a hospital, the US-led coalition said in a statement. One coalition soldier was also wounded.

The nationalities of the soldiers weren’t immediately released pending notification of next of kin.

The coalition estimates about 250 insurgents have been killed since Operation Mountain Thrust — the biggest military operation since the push to topple the Taliban — got underway earlier this month to stop a wave of suicide attacks and ambushes in southern Afghanistan.

In Kabul, Karzai emphasised to key Western officials the need for international troops to work more closely with tribal leaders and community elders during military operations. He asked the international community to look at the deeper causes of terrorist activities. The heads of Nato and US forces in Afghanistan and Western diplomats were at the meeting.—AP