Kabul, July 13 (Xinhua) Gun battles and air raids by security forces left 19 suspected militants dead in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, an official said Thursday.

"A large number of Taliban insurgents stormed Nazad district on Wednesday at 10 a.m. (0530 GMT). During the gun battle with police, seven militants were killed and two police were wounded," said Hajii Mohiudin Khan, an official.

In retaliation, the coalition forces conducted air strikes, killing 12 militants on the spot, Khan said.

However, a parliamentarian from Helmand, Hajji Dad Mohammad Khan, claimed that the air strikes left 80 militants and civilians dead. The coalition has rejected the report.

"Coalition air attacks on a bazaar in Nawzad district yesterday left 80 Taliban and locals dead," said Dad Mohammad Khan.

Some 2,000 families from the nearby villages left to safer places, he added.

More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, have been killed in Taliban-linked insurgency since January this year.