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15 Taliban fighters killed in skirmish with US troops
Kabul, Sept 16: American planes, aiding ground troops, bombed positions in southern Afghanistan as part of an operation that has killed at least 15 suspected Taliban fighters, the US military said.
Kabul, Sept 16: American planes, aiding ground troops, bombed positions in southern Afghanistan as part of an operation that has killed at least 15 suspected Taliban
fighters, the US military said.
There were no reported casualties among US or Afghan troops in the fighting that began on Sunday in Kandahar province and has been dubbed operation mountain viper, said a statement issued by the military yesterday from its headquarters in Bagram.
Earlier, the US military said guerrillas fired mortars and machines guns at US soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, an area that has seen repeated clashes in recent months.
Soldiers from the 10th mountain division came under attack on Saturday as they patrolled near a US base in Paktika province, a few miles from the border with Pakistan, the American military said in a statement.
The guerillas, believed to be al-Qaeda or remnants of the Taliban, traded fire with the US troops for about an hour before fleeing toward the Pakistan border. There were no reported casualties.
The battle was the latest in a series in the south and east of the country that suggests a growing boldness by Taliban and their al-Qaida allies.
Suspected Taliban militants in the neighbouring province of Paktia have recently threatened to cut off the nose of anyone who listens to music or men who shave their beards -violations of their strict interpretation of Islam, said provincial governor Asadaullah Wafa.
Bureau Report
Earlier, the US military said guerrillas fired mortars and machines guns at US soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, an area that has seen repeated clashes in recent months.
Soldiers from the 10th mountain division came under attack on Saturday as they patrolled near a US base in Paktika province, a few miles from the border with Pakistan, the American military said in a statement.
The guerillas, believed to be al-Qaeda or remnants of the Taliban, traded fire with the US troops for about an hour before fleeing toward the Pakistan border. There were no reported casualties.
The battle was the latest in a series in the south and east of the country that suggests a growing boldness by Taliban and their al-Qaida allies.
Suspected Taliban militants in the neighbouring province of Paktia have recently threatened to cut off the nose of anyone who listens to music or men who shave their beards -violations of their strict interpretation of Islam, said provincial governor Asadaullah Wafa.
Bureau Report