Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)and the US-led Coalition forces fought militants in a series of engagements, leaving 25 militants and eight non-combatants dead in southern Afghan province of Uruzgan on Sunday, said a Coalition statement released in Kabul on Monday.

Militants hid in buildings along a known Coalition route to launch multiple ambushes in Khas Oruzgan district and then fled into a neighboring compound where they held 11 non-combatants hostage, including several children and an infant, the statement said.

As the Coalition soldiers attempted to disengage from a previous attack, militants ambushed the Coalition troops from the compound that housed the non-combatants using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, it said.

"Coalition troops called in close-air support to engage the militants hiding in the structure killing eight civilians as well, "it said, "three civilian survivors were found after battle."

"Taliban militants uses innocent civilians' homes, taking them by force to attack Afghan and Coalition forces," said Juma Gul Humat, the provincial police Chief.

"Afghan and Coalition forces always use extreme measures to avoid collateral damage," he said.

"In this situation, the Taliban was attacking the Afghan and Coalition forces from a civilian compound," the police official said, "unfortunately, eight civilians were killed and three wounded who were held by the Taliban against their will."

A total of 70,000 multi-national troops are deployed across Afghanistan under the flags of the NATO-led ISAF and the US-led Coalition forces respectively for maintaining stability and helping in reconstruction.

Afghanistan has witnessed the surge of Taliban attacks on international and Afghan troops during past weeks when the anti-government militants continue to demonstrate their strength through suicide and roadside bombings.

Escalating insurgency and violent incidents have left around 2,500 people dead with around 1,000 civilians since January this year in the war-torn country.

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2008)