Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. soldier died today and another was wounded when insurgents in southeastern Afghanistan ambushed a group of military engineers, the coalition said.

The militants attacked the U.S. convoy with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades near a construction project on the road between Sharona and Orgun-E, the military said in a statement e- mailed from the capital, Kabul.

Sharona, capital of Paktika province, is in the Hindu Kush mountain range, a smuggling and trade route.

Remnants of the Taliban Islamic militia and al-Qaeda are mounting an insurgency against U.S.-led coalition forces as the country prepares for parliamentary elections in September, U.S. officials have said.

``Our engineers have been working in this area to improve the infrastructure so that Afghans living here have a better roadway system,'' Brigadier General Jack Sterling, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force-76, said in the statement. The attack ``will only strengthen our resolve to rid Afghanistan of these militants.''

The wounded soldier was taken to a nearby base for treatment, the military said. No further information was provided.

To contact the reporter on this story: Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 11, 2005 07:37 EDT