( CNN ) -- Insurgents locked in a standoff with U.S. Marines tricked them by dressing up as women to escape , a task force spokesman said Monday . U.S. Marines scan the site of a blast that hit a U.S. vehicle in southern Afghanistan . Women and children had been caught in the standoff between the armed groups , but some of the women were not what they seemed , according to task force spokesman Capt . William Pelletier . After the Marines began taking fire from insurgents in the town of Khan Neshin , in south Afghanistan near the Helmand River , the militants ran into a multiple-room compound , the U.S. military said . Unsure of whether civilians were inside the compound , the Marines had an interpreter talk to the insurgents , said an official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly . After some time , a number of women and children left the compound , the military official said . The released hostages told the Marines that there were no more civilians inside the compound , Pelletier said . But the Marines held their fire anyway , the official said . About 4 p.m. ( 7:30 a.m . ET ) , in the midst of the standoff , another group of women and children emerged from the compound , the official said . The Marines continued to hold their fire and wait out the insurgents , the official said . Finally , a screaming woman emerged from the compound with a bullet wound to her hand , Pelletier said . Then , another group of women came out , covered from head to toe according to custom , he said , with a couple of children in tow . The Marines attended to the wounded woman while the others walked away . When the Marines went into the compound , they discovered that it empty , Pelletier said . That 's when they realized the fighters had dressed up as women to escape , he said . `` Apparently these were tall , rather broad-shouldered women with hairy feet , '' Pelletier said . The Marines ' restrained approach differs from previous hits on compounds when airstrikes were readily called in , the official said . Under a new tactical directive for forces in Afghanistan , some of which was unclassified Monday , forces must protect civilians soldiers and must be sensitive to Afghan cultural norms regarding women . Pelletier said that during the standoff , `` the Marines did n't have any female forces to do any searches , and they were n't going to violate cultural norms by patting down these women . '' The standoff in the town of Khan Neshin was especially significant because it has been a Taliban stronghold for several years , and the U.S. military reported that the Afghan government regained control of the town Monday . Coalition forces began talks with local leaders several days ago and have moved about 500 Marines into Khan Neshin , a U.S. military news release said . The government takeover of Khan Neshin marks the first time coalition forces have had a sustained presence so far south in the Helmand River valley , the release said . The mission to secure Khan Neshin coincides with `` establishing secure conditions '' for August elections in Afghanistan , according to the release . Elsewhere in Afghanistan , a six U.S. soldiers were killed Monday by two roadside bombs , a representative for NATO forces said . Four were killed in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan , the U.S. military said . The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . Two soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan , NATO 's International Security Assistance Forces said . CNN 's Barbara Starr contributed to this report .
US Marines faced off against insurgents in southern city of Khan ##abad . Marines surround compound , open fire because of civilians . 6 US soldiers killed by car bomb in northern Afghanistan . Taliban claim responsibility for attack on U.S. military vehicle .