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KABUL, Feb 7 (AFP) - United States special forces came under fire in Afghanistan's restive southeast early Friday but suffered no casualties, an American military spokesman said.

The troops were attacked south-west of Gardez, the capital of Paktia province 75 kilometers (46.5 miles) from the border with Pakistan where Taliban and al-Qaeda extremitst are believed to be hiding and regrouping to mount guerrilla attacks on US forces.

"Enemy forces were in a compound, firing at coalition forces with small arms and machine guns," Colonel Roger King said in a statement.

"Coalition forces entered the compound and secured it."

Several people were arrested, King added without elaborating.

Fighting between Afghan factions broke out Thursday near Bagram air base, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Kabul, but ceased after the coalition sent out Apache helicopter gunships.

"Local nationals were firing mortars away from the base," King said.

Small arms fire, mortar and grenade rounds were heard in the evening.

"Coalition forces fired mortar illumination and launched Apache helicopters to observe the situation.

"The fighting, which appears to be between Afghan factions, ceased when the Apaches flew over."

In the south-east Adi Ghar mountains also near the Pakistani border, US troops destroyed eight more caves in a network used by extremists as an operations and supply base, King said.

The cave search and destroy mission, dubbed Operation Mongoose, had been declared over Thursday when King said that 75 caves had been cleared or destroyed.

Coalition troops had initially believed 80 rebels linked to Taliban, al-Qaeda and the radical Hezb-i-Islami party of hardline Islamist ex-premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar were hiding in the Adi Ghar caves, 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north-west of the border town of Spin Boldak.

Eighteen rebels were killed after US and Norwegian aircraft bombarded the area on January 27 and 28.

A 20 year old US soldier was evacuated from Adi Ghar to the main southern city of Kandahar suffering cardiac symptoms Thursday. His condition was listed as stable.

Some 8,000 US troops dominate the 10,000 strong coalition hunting Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants for the past 16 months. 

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