41 rebels dead in Afghan gun battle

Afghan security forces backed by coalition helicopters attacked a suspected Taliban hideout in southern Afghanistan, sparking an intense gun battle that left 41 rebels dead and several others wounded, a provincial governor said today.

Six Afghan police officers also died and nine were wounded in yesterday’s fighting between Afghan police and Taliban in Sangisar, a town 40km southwest of Kandahar, said Asadullah Khalid, the provincial governor.

“Acting on intelligence reports that Taliban have gathered in Sangisar to plan an attack in Kandahar, we launched this operation Friday and the fighting continued from morning to evening,” he said.