Nato 'kills 70 Afghan militants'

Nato forces in Afghanistan say they have killed 70 militants in fierce clashes in southern Uruzgan province.

Up to 150 militants attacked the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) troops at their base north of Tarin Kowt, Nato says.

In a battle lasting many hours, the alliance called in jets and attack helicopters to repel the assault.

In a separate incident in Uruzgan, a Nato soldier was killed when his convoy hit a roadside bomb.

His nationality has not been disclosed.

Uruzgan province is the base for Dutch and Australian Isaf troops, although it is not clear which nationalities were involved in the clash near Tarin Kowt.

Fighting back

Nato said there would be no let up in the battle against the Taleban.

"We're going to keep the pressure up... in every region across the country," alliance spokesman Maj Luke Knitting told AP news agency.

The BBC's Dan Isaacs in Kabul says Nato forces have faced increasingly stiff resistance from Taleban fighters in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Although Nato has claimed significant success in defeating insurgents in the region, alliance commanders believe Taleban fighters have returned to areas where they had previously been routed, our correspondent adds.

Earlier this week, controversy arose over a Nato bombing raid in which at least 12 civilians were killed in Panjwayi district in the southern province of Kandahar.

Gen James Jones, a top Nato commander, apologised for the deaths, but said Taleban were to blame for using villagers as cover.

One Afghan survivor told the BBC that those attacked were nomads who had been living outside a village in tents.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was "hurt and saddened" by the incident.