KANDAHAR, July 8: The Afghan and US-led coalition pounded a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing five rebels and wounding an Afghan and three foreign soldiers, the coalition said.

The air and ground assault was launched in the early morning in the Panjwayi area in the Kandahar province, which has been the focus of intense military action in recent months, and continued more than 12 hours later.

“Since one O’clock this morning coalition forces have been involved in numerous fights in a deliberate joint operation to take out the Taliban from this area,” coalition spokeswoman Julie Roberge told AFP.

“It is estimated that five Taliban have been killed. One Taliban was wounded and evacuated by coalition forces to a medical facility and four are detained.”

“Three coalition forces soldiers are wounded (and) one Afghan army soldier was wounded. Their condition is unknown at this time,” Captain Roberge said.

She did not disclose the nationalities of the wounded coalition soldiers, in line with coalition policy. She also could not give details of the battle because the operation was ongoing.

The US-dominated coalition in the south includes soldiers from Canada, Britain and other nations.

Ms Roberge said intelligence showed that the Taliban had massed in the area, which is 35 kilometres southwest of Kandahar, the biggest city in southern Afghanistan.

“There are Taliban in the area and they are active,” she said.

There have been regular strikes on Panjwayi, one of the biggest in mid-May when Afghan officials said about 100 rebels were believed to have been killed in a major Afghan and coalition attack.

Villagers and a rights group said afterwards that 34 civilians also died when Taliban, who had taken shelter in their homes, were targeted by coalition forces.

The strikes are part of Operation Mountain Thrust, the biggest anti-Taliban campaign in the south since the hardline movement was toppled from government in late 2001 by a US-led coalition.—AFP