An Afghan official says NATO and Afghan troops killed 17 insurgents in an hours-long gunbattle in southern Helmand province.

Provincial government spokesman Daud Ahmadi said Sunday that the fighting lasted 12 hours and took place in the Dishu district.

In a separate incident, NATO said Saturday that an airstrike killed a Taliban leader in southern Zabul province as he was showing his fighters a new anti-aircraft heavy machine gun mounted on the back of his vehicle. The coalition says Thursday’s airstrike also killed one of his fighters.