KABUL - FOURTEEN cases of H1N1 flu have been detected among US soldiers stationed at the biggest military base in Afghanistan, the government and the military said.

The A(H1N1) virus cases were reported over the past few days at Bagram Air base, the ministry of public health said in a statement.

'All have been properly treated, recovered and returned to work,' it added.

The infections were discovered during a general health check-up among the troops at the base 50 kilometres north of Kabul, a US military spokesman, Lieutenant Adam Clampitt told AFP.

Some of those infected were recently deployed, he added.

The United States has deployed thousands of fresh troops to Afghanistan as part of Washington's new strategy for the war-torn country.

'The ministry of public health is working closely with the US agencies and the World Health Organization to monitor the situation,' the government statement said.

The virus has not been detected among Afghans so far, according to the Afghan health authorities.

There are about 90,000 international, mostly American troops stationed in Afghanistan to help Kabul tame an increasingly deadly insurgency led by the remnants of the Taleban since their ouster in late 2001. -- AFP