41 Taliban rebels killed in Afghanistan clash

Six policemen were also killed and nine others wounded in a major battle in southwest of Kandahar.

Forty-one suspected Taliban and six policemen were killed in a major battle in southern Afghanistan in an area where the Taliban leader once lived, a governor said on Saturday.

HT Image

The battle southwest of Kandahar city lasted almost the entire day Friday, with helicopters from the US-led coalition firing rockets in support of Afghan forces on the ground.

"In the result, 41 Taliban were killed, a big number of them were wounded," Kandahar governor Assadullah Khalid told the agency.

"Six police were martyred, nine police were wounded," he said, adding that three civilians were wounded and 13 Taliban were arrested.