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.