Five US soldiers were injured, three of them seriously, in the battle with Taliban prisoners near Mazar-e-Sharif, the Pentagon said today.
The soldiers were hurt when a bomb from an US aircraft fell too close to their position. The seriously injured were evacuated to receive medical attention, it was reported.
Hundreds of anti-Taliban fighters - and some US soldiers - are believed to have rushed into a mud-walled fortress today where dozens of captives loyal to Osama bin Laden were said to be fighting to the death.
Hundreds of the prisoners had been killed yesterday in fighting and US air strikes after they pulled weapons from their tunics and attacked their outnumbered guards, according to the Pentagon and the Northern Alliance.
The Pentagon and the Alliance had declared the uprising over last night, but Alliance reinforcements poured into the fortress today as the prisoners, trapped around a tower, fought with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars they had raided from an ammunition warehouse.
"They're fighting until death. For this reason it has continued," said an Alliance commander outside the fort. "They won't hand themselves over alive".
By nightfall, he said, 2,000 Alliance troops were inside the sprawling, 18th century fortress, 10 miles from Mazar-e-Sharif. He said more were on their way.
Meanwhile four British servicemen have been injured in operations in Afghanistan.
One of the four is said to be seriously hurt. All are back in the UK receiving treatment.
The announcement came minutes after UK Defence Secretary Mr Geoff Hoon confirmed that the majority of British troops on standby for Afghanistan have had their notice to move relaxed from 48 hours to one week.
"Given the more encouraging position on the ground I have decided to relax the notice to move for the bulk of these forces," he told MPs.
The troops on standby are members of 42 Royal Marines Commando and the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
"Leading elements of Two Para and 16 Air Assault brigade and key enablers will remain at 48 hours notice to move. The remainder of these forces will revert to their previous still high readiness state and will be able to move within one week," said Mr Hoon.
AP & PA