Kabul, Afghanistan ? A U.S.-led coalition soldier and 10 suspected Taliban militants died in the latest clashes to roil southern and eastern Afghanistan, while security was tightened in Kabul after a series of bombings, officials said Thursday.

The attacks in Kabul have raised fears that Taliban militants are bringing their fight to the capital, nearly five years after their ouster in a U.S.-backed military campaign.

President Hamid Karzai vowed that bombings targeting government officials and army officers Tuesday and Wednesday in Kabul, killing one person and wounding about 60, wouldn’t shake Afghans’ hopes for peace.

Extra police staffed checkpoints in the city Thursday, amid a growing sense of unease.