Sixteen dead in Afghan clash

Afghan and NATO forces killed 13 Taliban militants in a day-long battle in southern Afghanistan, says a provincial police chief.

Afghan and NATO forces killed 13 Taliban militants in a day-long battle in southern Afghanistan, in which three policemen also died, a provincial police chief on Monday said.

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The Taliban fighters attacked a police post in Zehri district of Kandahar province on Sunday, killing three policemen and leaving two others wounded, Sayed Aqa Saqib told AFP.

A gunfight erupted and "13 Taliban were killed including a Taliban commander after Afghan and NATO forces went to support the police post under attack," said Saqib.

The fighting finished late last night, he said. Kandahar, the birthplace of the hardline Taliban movement, has been among the areas hardest hit by a wave of militant attacks which have killed thousands of people.