80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle

Coalition, Afghan forces pitch 6-hour battle after insurgent ambush
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2007 7:00 AM CDT
80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle
US Major General David M. Rodriguez of 82nd Airborne Division address a news conference at International Security Assistance Force head quarter in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. US-led coalition forces killed about 80 Taliban fighters during a six-hour battle outside a Taliban-controlled...   (Associated Press)

In a sudden new flash of violence in another American battle theater, US-led forces killed 80 Taliban fighters yesterday near a southern Afghanistan town held by insurgents. The battle erupted when Taliban troops ambushed a joint coalition and Afghan army patrol with machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Coalition forces retaliated with a six-hour ground and air strike, Reuters reports.

Such battles are rare for the Taliban, and the fight signals how deeply insurgents have dug in to defend Musa Qala, the town they hold. A Taliban town official denied any insurgents had been killed and claimed that coalition forces had dropped bombs on civilians. Violence in Afghanistan has been rising since the Taliban regrouped two years ago. (More Taliban stories.)

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