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One coalition soldier and eight insurgents have been killed in clashes across Afghanistan, as U.S.-led forces pursue a major crackdown on insurgent groups.

Coalition forces say the foreign soldier was killed when his patrol came under fire in the southeastern Paktika province bordering Pakistan. The soldier's nationality has not been released.

Officials say coalition and Afghan forces also killed at least eight Taleban militants during operations in eastern Afghanistan and the southern province of Zabul.

U.S.-led coalition forces killed about 35 insurgents late Tuesday in an attack on a Taleban compound in Helmand province. Elsewhere in Helmand, rebels killed one British soldier, the sixth to die in the area in recent weeks.

Britain said Thursday it is considering sending more troops to Afghanistan after commanders in the field requested additional forces.

As part of a large-scale offensive that began in May, more than 10,000 coalition and Afghan troops have been deployed in four southern provinces to kill or capture Taleban insurgents.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.