The combat in eastern Afghanistan came as the US

military suffered its 1,000th death in the nearly 9-year-old Afghan war, according to an Associated Press count.

Hundreds of militants have been trying since Sunday to seize control of the Barg-e-Matal district of Nuristan province along the Pakistani border, provincial officials said.

Villagers who took part in the fighting said they had killed Taleban commander Maulana Fazlullah along with six of his fighters during a strong insurgent attack Wednesday, said Gen. Mohammad Zaman Mamozai, commander for Afghan border police in eastern Afghanistan.

Officials said Friday they still had no confirmation that Fazlullah was dead.

Fazlullah is a Pakistani Taleban leader who spearheaded the takeover of Pakistan's Swat Valley three years ago, gaining prominence as the "Radio Mullah" for his vehemently anti-Western sermons on local radio. The former mountain resort area fell under Taleban control until Pakistani forces drove them out last year.

Pakistani Taleban leaders say Fazlullah was in Nuristan but they believe he is still alive.

In Swat, Fazlullah imposed hard-line rule including banning music, dancing, television sets, computers and CDs.

He strongly opposed education for females and claimed polio vaccines were a conspiracy by Jews and Christians to weaken Muslims.

The grim milestone of the 1,000th US military death was reached when NATO reported a service member was killed in the south. A NATO statement did not identify the victim's name or nationality, but US spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said the service member was American.

The Associated Press bases its tally on US Defense Department reports of deaths suffered as a direct result of the Afghan conflict, including personnel assigned to units in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Uzbekistan.

The latest death was reported just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend in the United States when Americans honor their dead in all the nation's wars.

The NATO statement gave no details of the bombing Friday, nor did it specify where the attack occurred. US, NATO and Afghan forces are gearing up for a major operation in the south in a bid to shore up government control of Kandahar, the biggest city in southern Afghanistan and the Taleban's former headquarters.