Afghanistan ? A battle pitting NATO and Afghan troops against Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan killed 20 militants, while police repelled a Taliban attack in eastern Afghanistan, killing six of the insurgents, officials said Friday.

A roadside bomb, meanwhile, exploded on a convoy of U.S.-led coalition forces in Laghman province, causing a number of casualties, the U.S.-led coalition said without providing any further details.

In the southern battle, troops from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force as well as Afghan police and soldiers battled Taliban fighters in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, and the three-hour battle left 20 Taliban dead, said Khairuddin Khan, the Zhari district chief.

A Taliban commander called Mullah Naqibullah was among the dead, Khan said.

In the east, Taliban fighters attacked the home of a police official in Zurmat district of Paktia province late Thursday, said Ghulam Dastagir, deputy provincial police chief. Police reinforcements were called in, sparking a battle that left six Taliban dead, he said.