Warplanes kill 33 militants in eastern Afghanistan

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-1  |     ONLINE EDITION

HELICOPTERS and a bomber attacked insurgents massing in eastern Afghanistan under cover of darkness and killed more than 30 of them, the US-led coalition said today.

Reconnaissance aircraft spotted "large groupings" of insurgents armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades yesterday night in Khost province, the coalition said.

"After positively identifying the militants, coalition forces engaged them with attack helicopters and a close air support bomber, killing approximately 33 militants," spokesman 1st Lt. Nathan Perry said.

An Afghan army officer said the clash began when Taliban militants attacked coalition and Afghan forces patrolling in Tani, a district on the border with Pakistan.

Col. Mohammed Israr, a battalion commander in Khost, said Afghan intelligence reports put the number of enemy dead at about 20.

Israr said that the group of about 50 militants had crossed from Pakistan, where some Taliban and al-Qaida militants seek refuge, and retreated in that direction under heavy coalition fire.

However, Perry said the clash took place about 8 kilometers from the frontier and "did not involve Pakistan."

Fighting between militants and security forces is intensifying in the southern half of Afghanistan. More than 2,100 people died in the violence in the past six months, according to an Associated Press tally.

Most of those killed have been militants, who suffer heavy losses when caught in the open by coalition aircraft. However, foreign troop deaths are also rising as militants get more effective at ambushes and roadside bombings.

At least 45 international troops died in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month since the 2001 US-led invasion to oust the Taliban.

Police said a roadside bomb killed four officers and seriously wounded two others Monday as they drove to the aid of colleagues under militant attack near Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province.