Eight U.S. soldiers were killed in an attack by the radical Islamic Taliban group in eastern Afghanistan, the press office of the NATO-led coalition forces said on Sunday.

The attack, the deadliest assault on the coalition forces for more than a year, occurred on Saturday in the remote province of Nuristan near the Pakistani border when the militants attacked two outposts, the press office said.

According to the latest data, thirteen Afghan police were also captured by the Taliban who retreated after the battle, a source in the Afghan Defense Ministry said.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months, with the radical Islamic Taliban group, toppled in a 2001 U.S.-led campaign, staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and civilians and planting roadside devices as part of the battle with U.S. and NATO troops.

Since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, about 800 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
sections: Accidents