Nine Taliban militants were killed in a gunfight early Monday by Afghan and NATO troops in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a senior police official said.
The gunfight erupted after Taliban-linked militants attacked Afghan and NATO security forces in the restive province's Panjwayi district, the top police commander for southern Afghanistan, Ghulam Ali Wahdat, told AFP.
The troops were on a routine patrol when they came under attack, he said.
"We were conducting an operation in the area. Taliban attacked one of our patrols. We engaged them and nine Taliban were killed," Wahdat told AFP.
Kandahar is one of the most troubled regions in Afghanistan, and one where Taliban militants are most active.
Remnants of the hardline Taliban regime, which was ousted from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001, are now waging an insurgency against the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
There are about 70,000 international troops in the country helping Afghan security forces maintain security and fight the Taliban.
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