Fifteen Afghan security troops have been killed in fighting with Taliban militants in southern Uruzgan Province.
A local district police chief said the fighting took place late on March 29 during an operation to reopen an important highway.
He said that for four days the Taliban blocked the highway between Dihrawud and the provincial capital, Tarin Kot.
He said Afghan forces have retaken control of the road.
He did not have information whether any Taliban fighters were killed.
The Taliban has stepped up its attacks in Uruzgan and neighboring provinces in the south, including Helmand, where much of the world's illicit opium is produced.
The crop, along with other contraband, funds the insurgency, now in its 15th year.