Pinned down by the onslaught, King said the troops called in "close air support" from a B-52 bomber on regular patrol over Afghanistan, which dropped seven large bombs, ending the confrontation.
The British force of some 7, 500 soldiers in Helmand suffered fresh casualties Sunday, when a suicide bomber attacked a foot patrol and killed three soldiers.
The next day, a roadside bomb killed three American soldiers on patrol in eastern Afghanistan, while a suicide bomber wounded two more NATO troops south of Kabul.