Paktika province is a remote region close to the border with Pakistan
Nato says its forces in Afghanistan have killed at least 30 Taliban fighters who tried to storm a combat outpost under cover of darkness.
The attack happened at a base in Paktika province, bordering Pakistan.
The militants are reported to have attacked from all directions, using rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
Five coalition soldiers were wounded in the fighting, which was so fierce that soldiers at the camp had to call in air attacks to repel the assault.
A statement from the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) said that none of its troops were killed. Most of the soldiers in the area are from the US.
The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville, in Kabul, says that combat outposts are often small, remote bases and are frequent targets for well-planned attacks using rockets and mortars.
Local commanders say many of the insurgents in the area come mainly from across the border in Pakistan, our correspondent adds.
The border region has long been a hiding place for Islamist extremists and has been targeted in drone attacks against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
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