[The News (Pak) Top Stories] US-led troops battled militants in Afghanistan on Wednesday announced that they killed 42 suspected militants, while a Taliban suicide bomber wounded five German soldiers.The deadliest battle was in the southern province of Uruzgan where the US military said nearly two dozen militants were killed after ambushing a patrol of coalition troops and the police. "Afghan and coalition forces returned the fire and called for close air support, killing 23 militants," it said in a statement.
Nine more were killed in the Helmand province in fighting that erupted when troops "positively identified armed militants preparing an attack from inside a wooded area," the statement added.