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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle

Coalition, Afghan forces pitch 6-hour battle after insurgent ambush

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(Newser) – 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.

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 town in southern Afghanistan, the latest in...
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...   (Associated Press)
An Afghan refugee woman prepares dinner outside her temporary home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. Many internal refugees moved from their homes in Helmand province, about six months ago, when fighting broke out between Taliban and American troops, and they now live in tents near...
An Afghan refugee woman prepares dinner outside her temporary home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. Many internal refugees moved from their homes in Helmand province, about...   (Associated Press)
A pall of smoke and fire fills the sky as people walk nearby, following a suicide car bomb explosion which hit fuel tanker trucks on the main highway of Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Sept 11, 2007. The suicide car bomb exploded Tuesday near four fuel tanker...
A pall of smoke and fire fills the sky as people walk nearby, following a suicide car bomb explosion which hit fuel tanker trucks on the main highway of Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan,...   (Associated Press)
Map locates Musa Qala in Helmand, Afghanistan, where 50 suspected Taliban were killed in battle; 1c x 1 5/8 inches; 46.5 mm x 41.3 mm
Map locates Musa Qala in Helmand, Afghanistan, where 50 suspected Taliban were killed in battle; 1c x 1 5/8 inches; 46.5 mm x 41.3 mm   (Associated Press)
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