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U.S., Afghan troops killed in fighting
 Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton was killed in a firefight early Sunday in Afghanistan. A second U.S. soldier was killed Monday in a separate incident. RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier, an Afghan soldier and 11 enemy fighters died this week in fighting in central Afghanistan, a U.S. military spokesman said. Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara said the deaths occurred Monday when U.S.-led forces encountered a "significant enemy fighting force" in a village west of Deh Rawod in Oruzgan province. U.S. officials have said remnants and supporters of the ousted Taliban regime are in the area. The Pentagon later identified the soldier killed on Monday as Staff Sgt. Michael W. Schafer, 25, of Spring Hill, Florida. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 173rd is based at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, and is part of the Southern European Task Force, know as SETAF. The task force is on a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan and is leading U.S. peacekeeping efforts there. SETAF took over authority from the 25th Infantry Division in March. The Coalition Press Information Center said the fighting began when Afghan and U.S. patrols encountered "unprovoked small-arms, rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from an estimated 15 to 30 enemy combatants in the village." Fighter jets and helicopters were called in, and the choppers fired on enemy forces while troops searched houses in the village, the center said. O'Hara said 15 enemy fighters were detained. Three U.S. service members and an Afghan soldier were injured, according to the center. One of the U.S. service members was evacuated to Germany for more treatment, one was transferred to Kandahar Airfield for treatment and the third was treated and released. The Afghan soldier was in surgery and is expected to recover O'Hara said deaths are expected to rise as the fighting continues. He added a final confirmation on the number of enemy deaths might not be known because many of the bodies would be removed before the fighting ended. The heavy fighting is a "significant blow to the enemy in this region," O'Hara said. Compound bombedAlso Monday, seven suspected enemy fighters were captured as U.S. and Afghan forces searched for those responsible for a Sunday attack that killed a U.S. soldier, the Coalition Press Information Center said. U.S. and Afghan forces were patrolling an unpaved road northeast of Gereshk, 86 miles (138 kilometers) northwest of Kandahar, when they were attacked by 15 to 20 individuals using small-arms fire. "Attack aircraft and helicopters responded to the site of the attack and bombed an enemy compound and positions north of Gereshk," said a statement from the center. According to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton, a 25-year-old communications sergeant assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), died of wounds sustained in the early morning firefight. A second soldier and an interpreter employed by U.S. forces was also wounded in the attack, the center said. The wounded soldier and the interpreter were taken to Kandahar Airfield, where they were treated and released. No further details were available about the suspects' capture. 
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