US, Afghan forces attack al-Qaida compound

American and Afghan forces stormed a mountainside compound in eastern Afghanistan before dawn Sunday that had been used by an al-Qaida commander, killing more than a dozen militants in a gunbattle, the U.S. military said.

The clash comes amid a debate in the U.S. about whether to send more forces to Afghanistan to gain control of the country or to more narrowly target terrorists taking refuge in the mountainous region that straddles eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan.

Al-Qaida's leadership is widely assumed to be hiding in Pakistan, though Afghan officials have said they believe foreign fighters are increasingly crossing into their country to bolster the Taliban insurgency.

This has already been the deadliest year for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. An American service member was killed by a bomb strike in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the military said.

The fighting in eastern Kunar province started overnight when the troops pushed into targeted compound in the hopes of capturing those inside, said U.S. military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias. They quickly came under fire, sparking a clash in which more than 12 insurgents died, she said.

There were no casualties among the allied troops or civilians, Mathias added.

Provincial government spokesman Gen. Khalilullah Zaiyi said 18 insurgents were killed in the fighting in Mano Gai district, in the Pech valley.

Some militants were detained, Mathias said. She did not have information on whether any al-Qaida operatives were among those captured or killed, nor did she give the name of the terrorist commander believed to have used the compound.

Also Sunday, four Afghan soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a bomb in Paktia province, police said.

Meanwhile, the Japanese foreign minister made a surprise visit to Kabul on Sunday, making him the first Cabinet-level official of Japan's new government to visit Afghanistan.

Katsuya Okada was meeting with President Hamid Karzai and other officials during the one-day trip to discuss the strengthening of Japanese efforts to help stabilize the country, said Fumio Shimizu, Japan's deputy ambassador in Afghanistan.

Japan has committed to paying all Afghan police salaries for six months and is funding a number of infrastructure, agriculture and education projects.

Okada's visit comes as Japan's new Democratic-led leadership is reassessing its role in the region after handily defeating the Liberal Democratic Party in parliamentary elections this summer.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said his government plans to discontinue Tokyo's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan by January, but has suggested it is looking for other ways to contribute to the effort.

In a speech last week to foreign journalists in Tokyo, Okada emphasized the need to understand why some people are drawn to the Taliban. He said Japan wanted to address economic motivations by providing income support and vocational training programs.

"Sending troops is not necessarily the only way you can provide support," Okada said.

Okada is scheduled to head to Pakistan when he leaves Kabul.

----

Associated Press writer Tomoko A. Hosaka contributed to this report from Tokyo.