KABUL, Afghanistan - Two U.S. troops were killed in separate militant attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan, just over a week after the country held landmark elections, the U.S. military said today.

One U.S. soldier died during a "ground assault operation" by Afghan and U.S. forces west of the southern city of Kandahar on Monday, when militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire at their vehicles, the military said in a statement.

Another U.S. soldier was wounded. The coalition forces returned fire, killing two militants and wounding a third.

Also on Monday, a U.S. forward operating base near the eastern city of Asadabad came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire, the statement said. One U.S. Marine was killed.