Afghan, US troops kill 32 Taliban in clashes

Afghan and US-led coalition troops killed 32 Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, including some who dressed as women in an attempt to escape, the US military said yesterday.

The Taliban opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades on a patrol of Afghan security forces and coalition troops in Uruzgan province on Thursday, the US military said in a statement. The patrol returned fire then moved to higher ground and called in air strikes, killing three militants. Militants soon attacked the patrol again, the statement said, and 29 more insurgents were killed.