Afghan clash leaves 80 Taliban dead

KABUL: Around 80 Taliban fighters were killed when they tried to ambush a patrol of Afghan and international soldiers in the south of Afghanistan, the US-led coalition said on Sunday.

The coalition said the troops were forced to call in air support when they were ambushed on Saturday in the highly volatile province of Helmand.

"The combined patrol immediately returned fire, manoeuvred, and employed close air support, resulting in almost seven dozen Taliban fighters killed during a six-hour engagement," it said.

The attackers fled after the clash in the town of Musa Qala, which has been held by the Taliban since February.

The statement made no reference to any coalition or civilian casualties. However, the Afghan commander for Helmand said no troops were killed.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com