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55 militants killed in battle in Afghanistan
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-23 20:57 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Militants ambushed troops patrolling in eastern Afghanistan, prompting a gunbattle and airstrikes that left about 55 militants dead, the US-led coalition said Monday. Meanwhile, a coalition helicopter attacked men suspected of laying a roadside bomb in the same region, killing one. Afghan officials said two civilians, including a 4-year-old boy, also died.
The major battle took place Friday in Paktika, one of the Afghan provinces along the porous Pakistani border where clashes between Taliban militants and security forces have intensified in recent months. The coalition said militants ambushed the patrol on a road in Ziruk district with rockets and gunfire, prompting US-led troops to return fire and call in warplanes. About 55 insurgents were killed, including three key leaders, a coalition statement said. It did not identify them. Twenty-five militants were wounded and another three detained, it added. "Patrols in the ambush area continue to report additional enemy casualties," it said. The clash was the second in three days to inflict heavy casualties on insurgents, who have little answer to Western airpower. |
