Bagram, Apr 04: Afghan militia soldiers and blistering air strikes by US-led coalition planes have killed eight suspected Taliban fighters in the southern mountains, an American army spokesman said today. Another 15 suspects were taken into custody. The deaths and captures came during a 14-hour bombing campaign Wednesday and yesterday in the Tor Ghar mountains near the town of Spinboldak, where Afghan soldiers and US Special Forces discovered a group of about 40 suspected Taliban at a transit camp.
One afghan militia member was killed and three others were injured in the firefight, Col. Roger King said. There were no US casualties.
"Eight enemies were killed in action, and Afghan forces have taken 15 persons under control," he told reporters at Bagram Air Base, headquarters for a multinational coalition fighting terror in Afghanistan. "As far as we know they were Taliban." In the cleanup yesterday, the soldiers also found and confiscated light machine guns, bomb-making materials, improvised explosive devices, two trucks, two motorcycles and ammunition, King said. Bureau Report