Taliban claims 'five or six' US soldiers and six Afghan troops were killed in firefight in eastern Afghanistan

American and Afghan military personnel were fired on while conducting an operation in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the US military said Saturday, as unverified claims by the Taliban indicate at least five dead US soldiers.

There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released.

US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and US personnel were 'engaged by direct firing.'

'We are assessing the situation,' Leggett said, without saying whether there were any casualties.

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