Afghan battles 'leave 150 dead'

Two battles in southern Afghanistan have left more than 150 people dead as Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, prepares to discuss his country's escalating violence at the White House.

At least 104 Taliban fighters died in fighting in the district of Musa Qala, the group's stronghold in Helmand province, the US military said on Wednesday.

One soldier from US-led forces was also killed and four others wounded, while another 65 Taliban were killed in the Uruzgan province on Tuesday, the US military said.

Check out the rest of the story on Al Jazeera by clicking the title to this blog entry. We need to keep our focus on Afghanistan and hunting down Osama.