Taliban fighters attacked a town in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, and 13 policemen and 40 Taliban were killed in nine hours of fighting, officials said today.
The Taliban attacked the southern town, Mosa Qala, yesterday evening and the fighting went on until this morning, government officials said.
In a separate incident, a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of foreign troops in the western city of Herat, killing himself and one foreign soldier, police said.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks on foreign and Afghan government forces in recent months. The violence in parts of the country is the worst it has been since the United States attacked the country in 2001 and toppled the Islamic regime.
Helmand's deputy governor said it was the biggest attack in the province since the end of Taliban rule.
Hundreds of Taliban were involved, he said. Fighting was continuing as security forces battled the insurgents as they withdrew.
British troops are in charge of security in the province, but no foreign soldiers were involved in the battle, the Interior Ministry said.