Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan
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Bodies of Taliban fighters from previous battles are examined on the border with Pakistan.
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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Backed by U.S. warplanes and Special Operations troops, Afghan forces attacked Taliban fighters Monday in southeastern Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan officials said.
Afghan officials said more than 40 Taliban fighters were killed in the attack, while the Pentagon put the death toll at 14. No U.S. or Afghan casualties were reported.
Afghan militia were accompanied by American Special Operations troops and airstrikes from U.S. Air Force and Marine warplanes, including F-16 fighters and A-10 and Harrier ground-attack jets, Pentagon officials said.
The fighting occurred in the province of Zabol, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of Kabul. Afghan troops had been building up over the weekend after raids by an estimated 200 to 300 Taliban fighters left 14 people dead in the area, Afghan officials said.
The Afghans were backed by a few dozen troops from the U.S.-led coalition battling remnants of the former Taliban regime and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, according to local officials.
A recent upsurge in attacks by the Taliban -- the Islamic militia that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 -- has wreaked havoc in parts of Afghanistan in recent weeks.
Numerous Afghan police and soldiers have been killed, and a member of a U.S. Special Operations unit was killed last week.
A U.S.-led campaign ousted the Taliban in 2001 as part of a move against al Qaeda in retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The Bush administration is expected to announce in coming weeks a major increase in aid to Afghanistan in an effort to boost reconstruction in the country. (Full story)
A senior administration official said the additional funding would be about $1 billion over the current $900 million being spent this year by the United States for reconstruction.
William Taylor, the administration's coordinator for Afghanistan, said the renewed effort is urgent because the United States wants to demonstrate significant progress with reconstruction before Afghanistan holds national elections next year.
CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre and Producer Mike Mount in Washington and journalist Michael Patterson in Kabul contributed to this report.
