Taliban fighters attacked the northern Afghan city of Kunduz overnight, entering urban areas and threatening a repeat of the assault in which they seized the city exactly a year ago.
A roadside bomb killed a US soldier in Helmand, a province in southern Afghanistan that has seen an upsurge in violence in recent weeks.
Fighting raged on Thursday in Helmand after Afghanistan rushed military reinforcements to beat back Taliban insurgents advancing on the besieged capital of the southern poppy-growing province.
