KABUL, May 26: US warplanes and Afghan forces have killed some 20 suspected Taliban fighters in raids on mountain hideouts near the Pakistani border, scattering some 200 insurgents, local officials said on Wednesday.
The planes bombed Afghanistan, near Spin Boldak about 100 kilometres southeast of Kandahar on Tuesday, where around 200 Taliban suspects armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and AK-47 rifles were hiding, Kandahar intelligence chief Abdullah Laghmanai said.
"During the operation 20 Taliban were killed, two of them were senior commanders," Mr Laghmanai said. He named the two Taliban commanders as Qari Faizullah and Qari Ali Mohammed.
"The operation is still on going with government troops chasing down Taliban to the Pakistani border," Mr Laghmanai said. "According to our intelligence we estimated that 200 Taliban were in the area and now they have scattered."
It was the largest number of Taliban killed in a clash so far this year. Last September more than 100 suspected militants were killed during a massive US-Afghan operation in neighbouring Zabul province.
Mr Laghmanai said the US-led coalition provided air support, but none of their troops was on the ground. The US military were not immediately available for comment. Kandahar military spokesman Gen Abdul Wasay said US air support came in when Taliban fighters attacked the district.
"The Taliban attacked the district," he said. "But government troops in the district, numbering 60 to 100 people, resisted and defeated their attackers." Gen Wasay said more than 20 Taliban were killed either by the bombardment or ground forces.
"They (the Taliban) were armed with RPGs, AK-47s and other new, modern weapons," he said. Gen Wasay said the estimated 200 militants had crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
A senior Afghan security official said on Tuesday the number of insurgents entering Afghanistan from Pakistan had increased, possibly because of an intensified campaign by Pakistani forces to destroy their sanctuaries. -AFP
