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— WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. special forces soldiers were killed and another wounded when their vehicle was attacked in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Saturday.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the casualties occurred when a four-vehicle reconnaissance patrol was attacked near the town of Geresk in south central Afghanistan in Helmand Province. The statement did not identify the soldiers who were killed.

"I believe they were involved in a firefight," said a U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said he was unable to provide additional details.

American B-52 bombers and helicopters pounded areas in southern Afghanistan where fugitives of the ousted Taliban regime were believed to be hiding, an Afghan official said on Saturday.

Hundreds of U.S. troops were entering mountain caves and villages in "Operation Valiant Strike" in their search for Taliban and al Qaeda remnants. The operation has resulted in the arrest of several people, the confiscation of Taliban recruiting literature and the discovery of large caches of weapons and ammunition.

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