US-led coalition and Afghan troops killed more than 220 suspected Taliban militants in an operation in southern Afghanistan last week, the U.S. military said on Monday, the biggest recent toll of insurgent deaths.
Meanwhile, residents in Helmand province reported that more than 70 civilians were killed in air strikes by foreign forces in the Sangin district.
"The operation is mostly wrapped up. The troops killed more than 220 militants," US military spokesman Nathan Perry said. He said he was not aware of any civilian casualties.
Violence in Afghanistan has surged this year to its worst level since the US invaded in 2001, and tempers have been running high over rising civilian casualties.
The four-day operation in Helmand was launched after militants attacked a military convoy carrying equipment for a power-supply dam in the Kajaki area.
There were no military casualties in the fighting in the area between Sangin and Kajaki districts, Mr Perry said.
The Taliban were not immediately available for comment, making it difficult to assess how big a blow the deaths of the 220 fighters would be. In the past they have accused foreign forces of making exaggerated claims.
Today, hundreds of protesters blocked a road in Kabul accusing US-led troops of killing three members of a family, including two children, in a raid earlier in the day.
President Hamid Karzai last week ordered a review of foreign troops in Afghanistan after his administration said 96 civilians were killed in an air raid by the US-led coalition in western Herat. The US military said it had targeted militants and that an investigation was being carried out.
More than 500 civilians have been killed during operations by foreign and Afghan forces against the militants so far this year, according to the Afghan government and some aid groups.