Afghan and U.S. officials say at least 43 suspected Taliban militants have been killed in a series of clashes in southern Afghanistan.
The U.S. military says its coalition forces killed 23 Taliban fighters and detained 11 suspects during an operation in southern Helmand province.
In a statement Saturday, the military said the fighting erupted while coalition troops conducted a weapons search in Garmser district, which lies along a route for smuggling weapons from Pakistan.
Separately, police say Afghan troops killed at least 20 Taliban militants during an operation in the Zhari district of southern Kandahar province. An Afghan soldier also was killed in the clash.
Elsewhere in the south of the country, NATO officials say a roadside bomb killed two NATO soldiers and their translator Saturday. Three other NATO soldiers were wounded in the blast.
In other violence, NATO says a suicide bomber attacked a convoy in eastern Nangarhar province today, killing an Afghan civilian and wounding one NATO soldier. The blast also left two civilians wounded.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.