12 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan gun battle

Afghan police killed 12 Taliban militants in a southern gun battle today, while more than 30 suspected insurgents were detained as security forces fought back against a deadly spike in violence, officials said.

A fierce gun battle broke out in Ghazni province’s mountainous Andar district as Afghan soldiers and police, backed by US-led coalition forces, entered an area where insurgents were holed up, said Mohammed Ali Fakuri, spokesman for the provincial governor.