NATO troops kill more than 10 insurgents during clearing operations in Afghanistan

NATO troops kill more than 10 insurgents during clearing operations in Afghanistan

2010-12-27 22:49:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- Coalition troops have killed more than 10 insurgents and wounded many more during separate clearing operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan since Sunday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday.

The alliance said one of the operations was carried out in the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand province, which is one of the country's most dangerous regions. ISAF said its forces, along with Afghan National Security Forces, had spotted insurgents emplacing an improvised explosive device (IED).

"After gaining positive identification, coalition forces engaged the enemy position with small arms fire, killing several insurgents," ISAF said in a statement.

In the Tagab district of Kapisa province, a combined patrol was engaged by insurgents with small arms fire after which they returned fire. As a result, 'numerous' insurgents were said to have been killed and injured.

No specific details about the number of insurgent casualties were released, although NATO said there were more than 10 insurgent fatalities during both operations. Others were wounded.

In addition to the two operations, combined patrols found four weapons and improvised explosive device components caches in Kandahar, Ghazni and Logar provinces. A patrol also discovered a large weapons and IED components cache in Chorah district of Uruzgan province.

The weapons from all provinces were confiscated and will be destroyed.

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