KABUL, Afghanistan, August 11, SPA -- A series of clashes and anairstrike in southern Afghanistan killed 25 militants andeight civilians held hostage by insurgents, the U.S.-ledcoalition said in a statement Monday. Militants ambushed the coalition and Afghan troops along aroad in the southern province of Uruzgan on Sunday,triggering gunbattles during which militants moved into acompound and took 11 civilians hostage, the statement said. «Coalition troops called in close-air support to engagethe militants hiding in the structure. They did not haveknowledge of noncombatants in the buildings at that time,»the coalition statement said. As a result, eight civilians were killed and three werewounded, the coalition said. The wounded civilians weretaken to a coalition base for treatment, the Associated Press reported. U.S. 1st Lt. Nathan Perry, a coalition spokesman, saidthree civilian hostages survived the airstrike in KhasUruzgan district, including an infant, a man in his 40s anda woman in her 20s.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/581116