KABUL (AFP) — NATO-led ground troops backed by air power killed more than 20 Taliban-linked militants in a battle in central Afghanistan that erupted after a bomb wounded some soldiers, an official said Thursday.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed Wednesday's fighting in Ghazni province's Andar area, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Kabul, but could not give details.
The fighting started after a roadside bomb hit an ISAF vehicle and slightly injured some soldiers, Captain Mark Windsor said.
The spokesman could not say how many insurgents were killed when military forces hit back.
Ghazni province spokesman Ismail Jahangir said reports from the district were that more than 20 rebels were killed.
"The international forces had an operation against Taliban in Andar district yesterday. We have reports that more than 20 Taliban were killed," Jahangir told AFP.
It was not possible to independently confirm the figures because of the remoteness of the area, where Taliban extremists are active.
The Taliban were ousted from government in a US-led invasion in late 2001 and are waging an insurgency to take back power.
The unrest has increased every year, with this year shaping up to be the most violent.
To confront the insurgency, the US-backed government in Kabul relies on about 70,000 international soldiers, most of them in ISAF which has called for more troops and military equipment to be sent to Afghanistan.
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