NATO, Afghan army kill at least 13 Taliban

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-07-17-10-26-10

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghan and NATO troops on Sunday killed at least 13 Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan after an overnight gunbattle ended with an airstrike on the building where the insurgents were holed up, Afghan and coalition officials said.

Capt. Justin Brockhoff, a spokesman for the coalition, said the fighting started during an overnight operation targeting a Taliban leader in the Kuz Kunar district of Nangarhar province. The joint force made up of Afghan and coalition troops came under fire and insurgents refused requests to come out of the building, he said.

The fighting ended Sunday with a NATO airstrike, he said, adding that there were no casualties among civilians or security forces. The insurgents were armed with machine guns, assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

"As Afghan members of the security force attempted to clear the building, they were met with continuing insurgent fire," Brockhoff said. The coalition and Afghan forces eventually called in an airstrike, which "killed several more insurgents and destroyed the building," he said.