Afghanistan: More than 50 Taliban killed after fleeing Musa Qala

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
More than 50 Taliban fighters who fled a key southern Afghan town were killed during a two-day battle as the militants tried to attack a nearby government center, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The battle - fought by Afghan soldiers aided by NATO airstrikes - took place in Sangin, Helmand province. Sangin neighbors Musa Qala, which Taliban fighters had controlled since February but abandoned this week in the face of an offensive by Afghan, British and US forces. "When the terrorists were defeated in Musa Qala, they escaped to Sangin and started firing in and around Sangin," the Defense Ministry said. Among the 50 militants killed were three foreigners and three commanders, the ministry said. It said no civilians were hurt or killed in the operation.