KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan and coalition forces killed about 82 militants in multiple assaults across southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday. On Friday, troops fought more than 40 extremists during a five-hour gunbattle after receiving enemy fire near the village of Mirabad, northeast of the capital in southern Uruzgan province, the military said in a statement.Most of the militants, who were firing from hidden positions in an orchard, ridgeline and compound near Mirabad, were believed killed, the coalition said. No coalition or civilian injuries were reported.
In a separate assault, Afghan and coalition forces battled a large group of militants in the Zharie district of Kandahar province, killing about 25 during the three hours of fighting. "Several extremists broke contact by using innocent Afghan civilians as shields to escape into nearby villages," the statement said.
Late Friday, the coalition reported that another 17 insurgents had been killed when an enemy bunker had been destroyed in Uruzgan province on Wednesday.