U.S.-led coalition forces say they have killed at least 169 Taleban insurgents in southern Afghanistan after they came under attack during combat patrols. Afghanistan has seen a surge in attacks in the past two years as the Taleban tries to take back lost territory.

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says its forces have killed about 45 insurgents in the country's south. The coalition says ground troops called in air support Wednesday after their patrol of foreign and Afghan troops was attacked by Taleban fighters in Uruzgan province.

Desperate efforts to free the remaining 21 South Korean hostages continue in Afghanistan. Taleban officials say they are still seeking a possible prisoner exchange a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai ruled out making any concessions to end the stand off.

South Korean officials say they have made contact with at least one of the 21 Korean hostages kidnapped last month by Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan.

NATO says three of its troops and an Afghan soldier are dead after two separate clashes with Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan. Two NATO soldiers along with an Afghan soldier were killed Friday while fighting insurgents in the eastern province of Nuristan. Thirteen other NATO troops were wounded, as well as an Afghan soldier and a civilian.

Afghan authorities say NATO and Afghan troops have battled Taleban insurgents in southern Helmand province, killing scores of people.

Germany is calling for a review of the tactics used by international forces in Afghanistan after a series of civilian deaths in recent weeks.

The Taleban in Afghanistan said Friday it has freed a French aid worker kidnapped last month. The French Foreign Ministry has confirmed the release of Eric Damfreville.

Afghan officials say a roadside bomb has killed five policemen in the Afghanistan's east. The deputy governor of Ghazni province says the remote-controlled device exploded Sunday as a police convoy was passing by.

Senior military commanders from 21 countries, including the United States, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have completed Thursday a two-day anti-terrorism conference in Islamabad. The symposium focused on improving international cooperation in the fight against terror, and comes as American lawmakers question host country - and key U.S. ally - Pakistan's commitment to the fight.