Afghanistan ? A nighttime raid on a compound in eastern Afghanistan sparked a gunbattle that left three people dead, including two children, officials said today.

The U.S. and Afghan troops clashed with suspected militants belonging to a suicide bombing network at a compound in Bati Kot district in Nangarhar province late Wednesday, said Maj. Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition.

After the clash, a militant and two children were found dead inside the compound, Belcher said. A woman and another child were wounded, he said.