A series of firefights and a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan on Tuesday left five civilians, including two women and two children and 27 Taliban fighters dead, officials said. Afghan and NATO forces engaged a group of Taliban militants in Bala Murgab district of western province of Badghis on Tuesday morning, killing 27 Taliban fighters including five commanders, dpa quoted army commander in the western region Jalandar Shah Behnam as saying. The Afghan forces were dropped by parachutes in Joy-e-Khewaja area of the district, behind Taliban lines, he said, adding that operation lasted for several hours. There were no deaths among the combined forces, he added.
