U.S.-led coalition forces battled insurgents outside a Taliban-controlled town in Helmand province for six hours on Saturday, and claimed at least 80 enemy fighters were killed.
The battle near Musa Qala is the fifth major fight there between the Taliban and Western forces since Sept. 1.
The latest fight began when Taliban fighters attacked a U.S-Afghan National Army patrol.
The soldiers responded by calling in air strikes, which resulted in "almost seven dozen Taliban fighters killed," the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement early Sunday.
Four bombs were dropped on a trench line filled with Taliban fighters, causing virtually all the casualties.
A Taliban official in the area denied any fighters had been killed and accused coalition troops of bombing civilians.
The Taliban have taken other heavy blows in the area. The coalition said about 50 militants died in fighting on Oct. 19-20, and more than 100 others died on Sept. 26.
Such intense battles are relatively rare in Afghanistan, where the Taliban prefer to engage foreign troops in brief firefights before fleeing.
Musa Qala, located in the northern part of Helmand province, sits in the centre of one of Afghanistan's main opium-growing areas. The area is credited with producing half the world's opium.
The area became particularly newsworthy in 2006 when British troops reached a deal with elders in Musa Qala that handed over security responsibilities to them.
About four months after the British troops pulled out, the Taliban moved in and have been in control there.
Coalition forces say they can take Musa Qala at any time, but don't want to move until an Afghan civilian adminstration and security force is ready to move in
Also on Saturday, the Taliban hanged three men, accusing them of being spies for the coalition. Two were hanged at the town's entrance and another in the centre of town.
With files from The Associated Press
