Eight American soldiers and two Afghan troops have been killed in a fire-fight in Afghanistan, officials say.
The battle happened in Nuristan province in the remote east of the country when military outposts were attacked, a Nato statement said.
The US military described it as a "complex attack in a difficult area".
Violence has escalated in eastern Afghanistan in recent months as insurgents have relocated from the south of the country.
In a statement, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said that tribal militia launched attacks on foreign and Afghan military outposts from a mosque and a nearby village.
"Coalition forces effectively repelled the attack and inflicted heavy enemy casualties while eight Isaf and two ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] members were killed," the statement said.
The statement did not specify exactly where in Nuristan province the attack took place.
Dangerous province
But it said the sources of the conflict in the area involved complicated "tribal, religious and economic dynamics".
This region's mountainous terrain makes it incredibly inaccessible, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul.
Fighters also cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan through this province, he says, making it additionally dangerous.
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