battle near Afghan-Pakistan border Kabul, Aug 3, SPA -- Afghan and U.S. troops backed bywarplanes killed as many as 50 militants in a day-longbattle near the Pakistani border, the U.S. military saidTuesday, one of the bloodiest clashes since American forcesentered Afghanistan. One Afghan soldier was also killed and three otherswounded in Monday's fighting in Khost province, a formeral-Qaida stronghold south of the capital, Kabul, a militarystatement said. "Allied forces staved off rockets, mortars, rocketpropelled grenades and machine gun fire throughout the dayand into the night," the statement said. "The exactnumber of enemy casualties is unknown, but pilots flyingoverhead estimated that approximately 40-50 insurgents werekilled."--mor1422 Local Time 1122 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/188517