U.S. Jets Kill 80 Taliban in Afghanistan

U.S.-led forces killed nearly 80 Taliban fighters during a fierce six-hour air and ground battle in southern Afghanistan.

The battle near Musa Qala in Helmand province began when Taliban fighters attacked a U.S.-led patrol and ended when U.S. fighter jets bombed a trench line filled with Taliban fighters, Alalam Satellite TV reported Sunday.

Officials in a nearby village reported as many as 20 civilians were killed in the fighting, the BBC reported.

More than 200 Taliban fighters have been killed in the area since September, when U.S.-led forces launched an offensive to drive the Taliban from areas where they have gained strength since last winter, the BBC reported.

The Taliban gained control of Musa Qala last February after British troops handed security of the town to local forces.