Gun battle leaves 23 Afghan rebels and two marines dead

US MARINES tracked down a band of insurgents in eastern Afghanistan and sparked a battle that left about 23 rebels and two American troops dead, the US military said yesterday, in the latest sign of a revived Taliban-led insurgency.

American warplanes also joined the five-hour clash with about 25 insurgents on Sunday evening in Laghman, a province of an eastern opium-producing region where US forces have regularly fought with militants.

Acting on intelligence about the rebels’ whereabouts, US Marines “located the insurgents and an engagement ensued”, a statement from the US military said. “Two US Marines were killed.”