US disputes Taliban battle toll, says only 77 killed

Kabul: The US military today disputed the death toll given by Afghan officials for a major offensive against Taliban militants last week, saying only 77 rebels were killed and not 178. The discrepancy could be due to inadvertent “double counting” after the clash in southern Afghanistan, US military spokesman Colonel James Yonts said. “Checking through intelligence and operation channels, we’ve 77 enemy killed in action.”— AFP