US troops in major battle with Afghan rebels

Hundreds of American troops have pressed towards a group of rebel fighters in a cave network in the mountains of south-eastern Afghanistan.

They were backed by allied warplanes, which bombarded dug-in positions with 2,000 pound bombs in the fiercest Afghan battle since March.

At least 18 rebels were killed in the fighting, which began on Monday, and about 80 are believed to be remaining. No coalition troops have been killed, the US military said.

Military spokesman Colonel Roger King, said: "It's the largest concentration of enemy forces since Operation Anaconda," - referring to a fierce eight day battle in March against Taliban and al-Qaida holdouts in a different area of south-eastern Afghanistan.

By today, firing from rebel positions had stopped, and American forces were going from cave to cave searching for remnants of the force, said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Shields.