Kabul: Afghan and NATO officials say at least 13 insurgents have been killed in eastern Afghanistan after gunbattles and a coalition airstrike against a building occupied by Taliban fighters.
Coalition spokesman Capt Justin Brockhoff says the fighting started during an overnight operation targeting a Taliban leader in the Kuz Kunar district of Nangarhar province.
The Afghan-led force, which included coalition troops, came under fire and insurgents refused requests to come out of the building. The fighting ended on Sunday after an airstrike. There were no casualties among civilians or security forces, he said.
Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial governor, says the bodies of 13 insurgents have been found so far. He says the building was an empty school.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, July 17, 2011, 13:17