Afghanistan: At least 23 Taliban killed in clashes

Clashes happen in eastern and southern Afghanistan, where Taliban, other groups are waging an insurgency against gov't and foreign forces.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US afghanistan 248.88 (photo credit: AP)
US afghanistan 248.88
(photo credit: AP)
Afghan and foreign troops called in air strikes as they battled militants in a series of clashes that left at least 23 insurgents dead and 20 others wounded, officials said Tuesday. The clashes happened in eastern and southern Afghanistan, where Taliban and other militant groups are waging an insurgency against government and foreign forces. The joint forces clashed with militants in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province on Monday, leaving six Taliban fighters dead and eight others wounded, said Zia Wali, a spokesman for the provincial governor. There were no casualties among the Afghan and foreign forces, Wali said. In southwestern Nimroz province, US-led coalition and Afghan troops killed several militants Monday during a clash in Khash Rod district, a coalition statement said Tuesday. The troops were targeting a militant involved in the movement of weapons and fighters in the area, it said. They detained 14 other suspected militants during the raid. In other violence, US and Afghan troops fought off coordinated insurgent attacks in eastern Afghanistan and called in air strikes that left a dozen militants dead and a dozen more wounded, the US military said in a statement. As many as 40 insurgents attacked five military outposts Sunday in the Korangal Valley of eastern Kunar province using small-arms fire, rockets and mortars, the statement said. No US or Afghan soldiers were hurt. The Korangal Valley is one of the most volatile areas in Afghanistan. Its high mountains - densely wooded and riddled with caves - are used by militants to launch near-daily attacks on remote US bases. In neighboring Nangarhar province, a raid targeting a bomb maker sparked a clash that left two militants and an Afghan soldier dead, another coalition statement said. Four suspected insurgents were arrested during the operation Sunday in Bati Kot district. Separately, militants trying to plant a mine under a bridge on a road that links Kandahar to Kabul set off the device accidentally Monday, leaving three Taliban fighters dead, said Ghulab Shah Alikheil, a local official. More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, have been killed in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Afghan and Western officials.