The US-led coalition troops and Afghan security forces killed 20 people and foiled a Taliban-led ambush in southern Afghanistan ahead of the scheduled expansion of Nato's presence in the region, US military said on Sunday.
The fighting erupted after a group of Taliban attempted an ambush in the Shahidi Assas district of Uruzgan province late on Saturday, it said.
"Afghan National Army and coalition forces killed 20 Taliban after they attempted an ambush from a compound," a military statement said, without giving details about the compound.
The coalition forces responded with artillery and air strikes, the statement added. The military reported no casualties among coalition forces or Afghan troops.
Nato will take charge of security in the south from the US-led coalition on Monday. With the move the number of troops in six southern provinces will double to 8,000.
By expanding its presence to the restive south, Nato knows that it is putting not only its credibility but probably also its future on the line.
"It is the toughest ground mission, if not the toughest mission overall, the alliance with other partners has ever embarked on," ISAF spokesman Major Luke Knittig said last week.
"We are putting a lot of people's lives on the line. It makes no sense to invest a lot of military resources for peace but not put in place the civilian resources," said spokesman James Appathurai.