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| Insurgents killed in Afghan clash | Insurgents killed in Afghan clash |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Almost two dozen insurgents have been killed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the US-led coalition says. | Almost two dozen insurgents have been killed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the US-led coalition says. |
| It said a joint patrol of Afghan police and coalition troops was ambushed on Friday in the Musa Qala district, a Taleban stronghold. | |
| Aircraft were called in to fight the rebels, who attacked with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns. | Aircraft were called in to fight the rebels, who attacked with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns. |
| There has been an upsurge in fighting in Afghanistan over the past year, with more than 3,000 people killed in 2007. | There has been an upsurge in fighting in Afghanistan over the past year, with more than 3,000 people killed in 2007. |
| The combined force was on a combat patrol in Helmand on Friday when the insurgents struck, the coalition said in a statement. | |
| "In the fight that ensued, almost two dozen insurgents were killed," it said. | |
| It said that no Afghan or international forces or civilians were killed during the latest clash. | |
| The district has been the scene of some of the most hard fought and deadly battles in recent months. | |
| Musa Qala - the main town in the area - has been a Taleban stronghold since October 2006, when UK troops withdrew from the town in a deal brokered by local tribal elders with the militants. |