NATO and Afghan troops backed by warplanes killed up to 60 Taliban militants, officials said Friday, as the US-led coalition battled to gain control of the restive south. US and Afghan troops backed by warplanes killed more than 35 Taliban militants during a five-hour battle on Thursday in the bitterly contested Helmand province Thursday, the US-led coalition said. Friday, a joint NATO and Afghan military offensive in the Garmser district of Helmand killed a further 24 militants, the province’s police chief Mohammad Nabi Mullahkhil told AFP, although the reports could not be confirmed. Full Story