53 killed in Afghan battle

Posted: 16:25 AEST

Taliban insurgents have launched a major attack on a town in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, leaving 13 policemen and 40 Taliban dead after nine hours of fighting, the government said.

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Displaced Iraqi girls walk inside their camp in the neighbourhood of al-Siniya, north of the city of Diwaniyah. Some 10,000 families have been forced to leave their homes following threats and intimidation in the course of a surge in sectarian violence.
© AFP/Qassem Zein