US troops 'clash with Taleban'

Up to 200 elite US combat troops are fighting Taleban forces in southern Afghanistan, US media are quoting the Pentagon as saying.

CBS television reported "between 100 and 200 Army Rangers are in the midst of their first raid on a target belonging to the Taleban".

It would mark the first time American troops have fought Taleban forces on the ground since the US launched its offensive against Afghanistan nearly three weeks ago.

The network said it would not identify the exact target until all the planes had brought the Rangers out.