More Taliban fighters were killed on Thursday as a major operation by Afghan soldiers backed by U.S.-led forces and aircraft to find hundreds of guerrillas entered its fourth day, officials and news reports said. The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) agency quoted Afghan Colonel Qudratullah as saying he saw around 40 bodies on the battlefield in the Tangi Chinaran area of Dai Chopan district, part of Zabul province where the fighting has raged. Afghan officials had already claimed 70 Taliban losses in the first three days of fighting, as Afghan soldiers and small groups of U.S.-led special forces searched for up to 1,000 militants. The U.S. military has confirmed only 14 dead in the clashes. While estimates vary, it could be the largest concentration of Taliban fighters since the hardline Islamic regime was ousted late in 2001, raising concerns that the movement has rallied support to undermine the U.S.-backed central government. Full Story