The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says its forces have killed about 45 insurgents in the country's south.
The coalition says ground troops called in air support Wednesday after their patrol of foreign and Afghan troops was attacked by Taleban fighters in Uruzgan province.
A similar exchange on Tuesday killed about 12 Taleban fighters in the southern province of Zabul.
In a separate incident, officials say a Bangladeshi aid worker was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the northeastern province of Badakshan.
Coalition and Afghan forces have been fighting the Taleban since 2001, when a U.S.-led invasion drove the extremist Islamic group from power.
Militant attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan have escalated over the past 19 months, marking the bloodiest period since the beginning of the war.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
