The death toll from three days of intense fighting with the Taliban in southern Afghanistan has already surpassed 100, with police and civilians among the many dead, Afghan officials reported Monday.

NATO's ISAF force only described the battle as "definitely a large engagement," but spokeswoman Lt.-Col. Maria Carl could not confirm the number of casualties.

Afghan government officials said the violence is raging in the Chora district of Uruzgan province.

According to figures from the Uruzgan provincial council, the clashes have claimed the lives of 60 civilians, 70 suspected Taliban insurgents and 16 Afghan police officers. Another source close to the Uruzgan governor puts the death toll even higher — with up to 75 civilians wounded or killed in the crossfire, and more than 100 Taliban and more than 35 police killed in the fighting.

More exact body counts are unobtainable at the moment because the area is still volatile and under heavy fire.

Also on Monday, the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan issued a statement saying that an air strike by U.S. forces in the east killed seven children. The U.S. forces had been targeting a compound suspected of housing al-Qaeda militants that apparently also included a mosque and a religious school.

With files from the Associated Press