Afghan officials say airstrikes by U.S. helicopter gunships and tankbuster jets have killed at least 12 suspected Taleban in southern Afghanistan.
They say the fighting began after insurgents tried to kill the former military commander of Khost province, Kheyal Baaz Khan Sherzai, in an ambush.
The suspected Taleban fired rockets at Mr. Sherzai on a main road between the Afghan capital, Kabul and Gardez. He was not injured.
The French press agency (AFP) says Afghan soldiers chased the attackers into the mountains and U.S. air support was called in.
Taleban fighters have carried out a number of attacks recently after a winter lull. A U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taleban regime in 2001. About 17,000 US military personnel are in Afghanistan trying to weed out Taleban remnants.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.