KABUL, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A clash killed eight persons, including six Taliban insurgents, in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan Friday, provincial police chief Syed Aqa Saqib said Saturday.

    Six Taliban rebels and two policemen were killed as they clashed in Arghandab district on Friday night, Saqib told Xinhua.

    Kanhahar has been a hotbed of Taliban rebels, who clash with Afghan and foreign troops frequently.

    Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition forces said Afghan and coalition troops killed several militants in Sangin district of the southern Helmand province on Friday.

    Due to rising Taliban insurgency, over 3,000 persons, most of whom were Taliban rebels, have been killed in Afghanistan this year.