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Kabul (ANTARA News/AFP) - Thirty-five insurgents were killed by Afghan and US-led coalition forces over the weekend in two separate clashes sparked by militant ambushes, the coalition said on Monday.

In the first clash on Saturday militants attacked a joint Afghan and coalition patrol in the troubled Sangin district of southern Helmand province, it said in a statement.

"While on patrol, the soldiers observed a large group of women and children leaving a village. As the patrol moved closer they observed a group of men near the tree line. These men opened fire on the (Afghan) and coalition force using rockets and small-arms fire," it added.

The coalition called in "precision" air strikes and after about two hours of fighting the "enemy" positions were destroyed and 15 militants were killed, it said.

On Sunday, militants attacked another joint reconnaissance patrol in the Deh Chopan district of southern Zabul province with rockets, mortars and small arms fire in a mountainous river valley, a separate statement said.

They returned fire and air strikes left 20 militants dead, it said.

The coalition said no coalition or Afghan forces were wounded in either battle.

The US-led coalition is fighting alongside a separate NATO-led force in Afghanistan against remnants of the Taliban regime, which was ousted from government in 2001.

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