SHARAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- NATO and Afghan forces repelled insurgents who attacked their base Paktika province, leaving 80 of the attackers dead, officials said Saturday.
Farid Mukhlis, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told CNN no NATO or Afghan troops were killed in the firefight that started about midnight Friday and raged into Saturday morning.
The U.S. news network said NATO's International Security Assistance Force only counted at least 30 insurgents dead with five coalition troops wounded. The reason for the discrepancy in the reported death toll unclear.
"Insurgents attacked from all directions with rocket-propelled grenades, small arms and mortar fire," the coalition statement said.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Zabihullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, said by telephone from an undisclosed location that 10 insurgents had died. He also claimed the fighters had destroyed four checkpoints and inflicted a large number of casualties to the coalition troops.
UPI
