40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes

Some 40 Taliban insurgents were killed in three days of clashes with Afghani and US-led foreign forces in the mountainous Shah Wali Kot district in southern Kandahar province, reports AP. Forces launched pitched battles against various pockets of Taliban strongholds in the area and called in airstrikes.

The battles are the most recent of a string of serious confrontations in the last few months as the Taliban resurges in strength. This year has been the most violent since the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 with nearly  6,200 people killed in both military attacks and insurgent action. (More Taliban stories.)