Kabul, Aug 13: Afghan troops killed eight suspected Taliban fighters in a gun battle near this country's volatile eastern border with Pakistan, a military commander said today.
The gunfight began late yesterday when a group of suspected Taliban fighters attacked government soldiers in Shinki, a village in Khost province about six kilometers (four miles) from the Pakistan frontier, said Khial Baz, an Afghan commander in Khost.
After several hours of fighting, about 50 Afghan troops forced the attackers to retreat. They later found eight bodies.
Baz said troops captured one Pakistani fighter and one Arab, though his nationality was not known.
Troops also seized a cache of Kalashnikov assault rifles, telephone, radios and ammunition used by the attackers, Baz said.
Bureau Report