WASHINGTON - Two American soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in fighting Thursday in central Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

At least five attackers were killed in the battle, officials said.

In a brief statement, U.S. Central Command said the American soldiers were accompanied by troops of the Afghan National Army when they were attacked by "anti-coalition militia" in a village near Tarin Kowt.

The Americans were not identified by name or military unit.

The battle in which the two Americans were killed happened in Oruzgan province on Thursday afternoon, the Central Command statement said. After being fired upon, the American soldiers fired back, killing at least five and wounding an undetermined number of others, the statement said.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - President Chen Shui-bian and his vice president were shot and wounded Friday in an apparent assassination attempt as they rode in an open vehicle while campaigning for this weekend's elections.The shooting occurred during a campaign parade in the southern city of Tainan ahead of Saturday's landmark election and referendum, which could be a turning point in the island's tense relationship with China.The 53-year-old leader - the first Taiwanese president to be shot - was grazed in the stomach and Vice President Annette Lu, 59, was hit in the right knee. Their injuries were not life threatening, said Chiou I-jen, secretary-general in the Presidential Office.No arrests were reported and it was not clear what the motivation was for the apparent assassination attempt in a street choked with Chen's supporters in Tainan, the president's hometown.About five hours after the shooting, the president left the hospital to return to the capital, Taipei. He did not comment to reporters as he got into a sport utility vehicle and drove the airport to board the presidential plane.The president and Lu were not wearing bulletproof vests as they stood in a red convertible, four-wheel-drive vehicle and waved to crowds lining the streets in Tainan on the last day of campaigning for Saturday's election.As a grassroots politician, Chen enjoys street campaigning and frequently wades into big crowds. Security is relatively relaxed because there's not a tradition of violence against leaders on the island.The presidential vote will go ahead as planned on Saturday, an election official said, although the candidates' parties decided to suspend campaign activities before the vote.