25 suspected Taliban killed in Afghanistan violence

Insurgents ambushed a US-led coalition and Afghan patrol in the volatile south, sparking a battle and airstrikes that killed 25 suspected Taliban.

The coalition said the joint forces were attacked while on a patrol in the Sangin district of Helmand province yesterday. An estimated 50 Taliban reinforcement fighters came by foot and boat along the Helmand river from surrounding areas, the coalition said in a statement.

Coalition airstrikes bombed seven compounds, resulting in three secondary explosions from suspected weapons caches, it said.

It said there were “several” confirmed militant deaths during the 14-hour battle and no reports of civilian injuries.

The Afghan Defence Ministry said the clash and airstrikes in Sangin killed 25 suspected Taliban, including a group leader identified as Mullah Younus.