Two NATO soldiers, dozens of Taliban killed-U.S.

KABUL, Sept 5 (Reuters) Two NATO soldiers and more than two dozen Islamist Taliban insurgents have been killed in southern Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, the US military said.

Afghan police and US-led coalition soldiers on patrol near Anjir Shali village, about 17 km northwest of Sangin in Helmand province, were ambushed by Taliban insurgents, the US military said in a statement.

''The insurgents attacked the patrol with small-arms, machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire from several buildings within the village limits,'' it added.

''Coalition aircraft conducted strikes on the positively identified enemy positions.'' The Taliban had no immediate comment, and there was no independent account of how many people were killed or what had happened.

A provincial official said separately several civilians were killed in an operation by U.S.-led troops against suspected Taliban in Ghazni province in the south.

The US military confirmed the operation, saying the victims were militants, but added there some non-combatants were injured. It gave no details about the nationality of the two NATO soldiers killed, in line with policy, or where it happened.

Violence has surged in the past 19 months in Afghanistan, the bloodiest period since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001.

REUTERS PDT VC2125