KABUL (AP) -- Officials say a seventh American service member has been killed in violence today in Afghanistan.

A U.S. military spokesman says the soldier died of wounds sustained during a firefight with militants in the east of the country.

Four U.S. soldiers died when their vehicles struck a roadside bomb in a province in the north. In the south, another explosion killed two more American troops.

The seven American deaths come as thousands of U.S. Marines continue their major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province, a southern militant stronghold. It is the biggest U.S. military operation since the ouster of the Taliban from power in 2001.

A suicide car bomber also blew himself up outside the gate of the main NATO base in the region, killing two civilians and wounding 14 other people.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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KABUL (AP) -- The U.S. military says two roadside bombs have killed six American troops in Afghanistan today.

A military spokesman says four soldiers died when their vehicles struck a roadside bomb in Kunduz province in the north. They were in the area to train Afghan forces.

In the south, another explosion killed two more American troops. The military is not providing details of the exact location of that blast.

Meanwhile, a suicide bomber attacked the gate of the main NATO base in southern Afghanistan. Two civilians were killed and 14 others wounded included two Afghan soldiers in the blast at the gates of Kandahar Airfield.

The attacks come as thousands of U.S. Marines continue a major offensive against the Taliban offensive in Helmand province. The area is considered a militant stronghold and hub of the vast Afghan drugs trade.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)