Friday August 29, 2008  8:46 am

ContentType:Spot Development; ContentElement:FastStory; Breaking:True;

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition says a dozen militants were killed in a gunbattle with coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The coalition says the militants were killed in Paktika province on Thursday. Coalition forces were searching compounds in the Bermel district for a militant responsible for ``the movement of foreign fighters from Pakistan into Afghanistan.''

The coalition said Friday that militants fired on them during the search, and that coalition forces fired back, killing the militants

More than 3,700 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency related violence in Afghanistan this year.