More Than Dozen Taliban Killed

Afghan and coalition forces clashed with Taliban insurgents in the volatile south and called in air strikes, killing more than a dozen suspected militants, the coalition said.

In restive Helmand province, coalition forces using small-arms fire and air strikes "killed several suspected militants" during an operation early Sunday in Garmsir district, a coalition statement said.

The fighting came after an estimated 40 insurgents armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades attacked an Afghan police and coalition patrol Saturday afternoon in nearby Musa Qala district, it said.

The joint forces repelled the attack and called in air support, killing at least a dozen militants, it said.

The coalition said there were no reports of civilians hurt in the two battles.

Helmand has been the front-line in battles between the Taliban and international forces in recent months, and has seen some of the bloodiest fighting in the past two years. It is also the largest opium-producing area in the world.

More than 4,300 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western and Afghan officials.

In central Ghor province, meanwhile, drug smugglers hauling an estimated 2,200 pounds of opium clashed with police in Shahrak district, leaving one officer dead, said provincial police chief Shah Jahan Noori. Three smugglers were arrested, he said.