One Dutch soldier was killed and four wounded near the town of Chura on Monday when a mortar round exploded. It wasn’t clear whether the mortar was fired by the Taliban or if a Dutch round exploded on accident during combat operations.

The fighting in and around the Bluci valley began Friday with a suicide bombing in Tarin Kowt that killed Dutch Private First Class Timo Smeehuyzen, 20, and around 10 Afghan civilians. Over the next 24 hours, Dutch troops supported by F-16 jets, attack helicopters and artillery fought off several hundred Taliban fighters. Dutch officials reported dozens of Taliban killed.

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The Bluci valley contains a major Taliban supply route connecting Pakistan to the poppy fields of Helmand province. Dutch and Australian forces have steadily advanced toward the valley since establishing Camp Holland near Tarin Kowt in August.

After a brief lull, fighting resumed in the area on Sunday, with Dutch artillery firing steadily during a memorial service for Smeehuyzen at Camp Holland. Some Afghan police trainees were absent from their courses at the base because they were helping fight off the Taliban, according to a police instructor.

The combat deaths have caused a panic in The Hague. On Sunday and Monday, the Dutch Ministry of Defense attempted to suppress reporting of the battle by several U.S. and Dutch journalists embedded at Camp Holland. The Hague sold the Afghanistan deployment to a skeptical Dutch public strictly as a reconstruction exercise, obfuscating the critical role that combat plays in facilitating rebuilding. The past week’s fighting represents the Dutch army’s first major combat in decades.

In spite The Hague’s reservations, Dutch soldiers have fought hard in the 100-degree heat and on harsh terrain. As of Monday, the Dutch army had not surrendered any territory to the continued Taliban assaults, according to Dutch army spokesman Major Erik Jonkers.