Officials say the fighting, which involved ground and air attacks, took place in the mountainous Charchino district Tuesday.

They say five Taliban militants were killed in a separate clash with Afghan forces in another district, Dihrawud, of the restive province, which also took place Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the top United Nations Human Rights official, Louise Arbour, has criticized both Taliban insurgents and international troops in Afghanistan for civilian casualties.

At a news conference in Kabul Tuesday, Arbour said civilian deaths caused by NATO forces have reached alarming levels. She also accused Taliban militants of deliberately targeting Afghan civilians and using locals as human shields by seeking shelter in their homes during battles with international forces.

She made the comments at the end of a six day visit to Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly urged NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces to try to prevent the death of Afghans who get caught in the crossfire of military operations against insurgents.

This year has been the deadliest in Afghanistan since a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban government in 2001. Taliban militants have established strongholds in the south and east, attacking U.S. and NATO troops and Afghan soldiers in ambushes and suicide bombings. - VOA News