Afghan and foreign troops killed 30 Taliban in a fierce firefight in western Afghanistan last evening to prevent them disrupting a key infrastructure project. A military commander said in Kabul that US Special Forces, Marines and Afghan soldiers fought insurgents for 13 hours in Bagdhis province. Afghan western regional commander General Jalandar Shah Behnam said, 30 Taliban were killed, including their commanders. The planned operation came after attacks on a road project linking the region to Kabul. The fighting ended after US forces called in air strikes.