U.S. military says kills 22 militants in Afghanistan

The raids, which involved air support, took place Monday in southern and eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

One operation targeted a Taliban network in Kapisa province, to the northeast of Kabul. Troops killed 18 insurgents and a commander, who was involved in a series of attacks against Afghan and foreign forces, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Coalition troops detained eight suspected militants during the operation, it said.

In two separate raids, one Taliban commander was killed in southern Kandahar province and two more insurgents were killed in neighbouring Zabul province, the U.S. military said.

The military did not say whether there were any casualties among the foreign troops. The Taliban could not be reached for comment and Reuters was unable to verify the military's accounts.

Removed from power in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban have made a comeback since 2005, escalating their campaign in recent months with several high-profile attacks, including in Kabul.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Alex Richardson)