US Kills 100 'insurgents' in Afghanistan Battle
Military says fighting came after convoy of Afghan and US troops came under attack in northern Kandahar.
The US today said its forces had killed more than 100 suspected insurgents after a convoy of Afghan and US troops came under attack in Afghanistan.
"Afghan national security forces, advised by coalition forces, engaged and eliminated more than 100 insurgent fighters in a battle that started this morning and is still continuing in northern Kandahar province," a US military statement said.
There were no civilian casualties, but one Afghan soldier was killed and three foreign troops and three Afghan soldiers were wounded. The Taliban are particularly strong in Kandahar, where the movement had its roots.
The casualty figures could not be independently verified but, if confirmed, would represent the highest Taliban death toll for many weeks.
Violence in Afghanistan has surged over the past 19 months - the bloodiest period since US-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in 2001.
Nine western soldiers, most of them American, have been killed in Taliban attacks in several parts of Afghanistan over recent days.
In other developments, Taliban militants released three South Korean hostages - the first of 19 captives scheduled to be freed under a deal between the insurgents and the South Korean government.
The three, all women, were first handed to tribal leaders, who took them to an agreed location where officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross collected them.
The women arrived in the central Afghan village of Qala-E-Kazi in a single car, their heads covered with green shawls, and were quickly taken to an undisclosed location.
In Seoul, the South Korean foreign ministry said the three - identified as Ahn Hye-jin, Lee Jung-ran and Han Ji-young - did not appear to have any health problems.
To win the release of the church workers, South Korea said it would withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working there.
The Taliban apparently backed down on earlier demands for a prisoner exchange.
Taliban fighters originally kidnapped 23 hostages as they travelled by bus from Kabul to Kandahar on July 19. In late July, the militants executed two male hostages, and released two women earlier this month.
The insurgents have said they will free all the hostages, who they are holding in different locations, over the next few days.
Mullah Basheer, a Taliban commander, said up to seven other hostages would "possibly" be released later today.
"Afghan national security forces, advised by coalition forces, engaged and eliminated more than 100 insurgent fighters in a battle that started this morning and is still continuing in northern Kandahar province," a US military statement said.
There were no civilian casualties, but one Afghan soldier was killed and three foreign troops and three Afghan soldiers were wounded. The Taliban are particularly strong in Kandahar, where the movement had its roots.
The casualty figures could not be independently verified but, if confirmed, would represent the highest Taliban death toll for many weeks.
Violence in Afghanistan has surged over the past 19 months - the bloodiest period since US-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in 2001.
Nine western soldiers, most of them American, have been killed in Taliban attacks in several parts of Afghanistan over recent days.
In other developments, Taliban militants released three South Korean hostages - the first of 19 captives scheduled to be freed under a deal between the insurgents and the South Korean government.
The three, all women, were first handed to tribal leaders, who took them to an agreed location where officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross collected them.
The women arrived in the central Afghan village of Qala-E-Kazi in a single car, their heads covered with green shawls, and were quickly taken to an undisclosed location.
In Seoul, the South Korean foreign ministry said the three - identified as Ahn Hye-jin, Lee Jung-ran and Han Ji-young - did not appear to have any health problems.
To win the release of the church workers, South Korea said it would withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working there.
The Taliban apparently backed down on earlier demands for a prisoner exchange.
Taliban fighters originally kidnapped 23 hostages as they travelled by bus from Kabul to Kandahar on July 19. In late July, the militants executed two male hostages, and released two women earlier this month.
The insurgents have said they will free all the hostages, who they are holding in different locations, over the next few days.
Mullah Basheer, a Taliban commander, said up to seven other hostages would "possibly" be released later today.
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