20 Taliban killed in Afghan clash

KABUL: Afghan and coalition forces killed 20 "enemy fighters" in a battle in southern Afghanistan last week in which a US soldier also died and seven others were wounded, the US-led coalition said Sunday.

The coalition announced the death of the soldier on Saturday but did not say how many militants were killed in the battle in Uruzgan province on Friday.

The fighting erupted when about 50 fighters attempted to ambush a joint patrol. "Afghan and coalition forces repelled the attack with small arms, killing 20 extremists," a coalition statement said.

The battle was one of several that have been fought in southern Afghanistan since Wednesday in a dramatic upsurge of insurgency-linked violence that has left around 200 Taliban dead.

More than 30 Afghan police, troops and civilians have also been killed, as have five foreign nationals including the US soldier who died in Uruzgan.

Around 25 other US soldiers have already died in Afghanistan this year, 13 of them in hostile action.