KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan and NATO-led forces killed or wounded scores of Taliban insurgents in a joint air and ground operation in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry did not give an exact number of militantskilled in the latest clash near the town of Deh Rawood in theprovince of Uruzgan on Saturday, but Afghan security sourcessaid nearly 50 Taliban fighters had died.
"The bodies of the militants are on the grounds and MullahHashim, a well-known commander of the group, was among thosekilled," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
NATO forces in Uruzgan are under the command of Dutchtroops.
Meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops killed morethan a dozen Taliban insurgents during an air strike in the DehRawood district of the same province on Friday, a U.S. militarystatement said.
The statement did not say how many militants died but anAfghan provincial police chief said 13 were killed.
Elsewhere in the south, a mine killed two soldiers from theU.S.-led coalition in the province of Kandahar, a U.S. militarystatement said.
"Coalition forces, along with Afghan National SecurityForces, were conducting a security patrol in the ZharmiDistrict when their vehicle struck a mine placed on afrequently travelled road," said the statement, issued late onSaturday.
Taliban insurgents planted hundreds of mines and roadsidebombs in 2007, contributing to a record year of violence thatkilled more than 6,000 people, nearly 2,000 of them civilians.
More than 200 foreign troops were killed in Afghanistan in2007 while nearly 30 troops from the U.S.-led coalition andNATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) havebeen killed since so far this year.
Taliban rebels are mainly active in southern and easternparts of Afghanistan that share long borders with neighbouringPakistan. Afghan officials say insurgents are trained,equipped, funded and have safe havens on the other side of theborder.
Afghan and NATO forces both say they need more troops tofight a revived Taliban insurgency. The United States ispressing NATO allies to come up with more troops and trainersfor Afghan forces at a summit in early April.
(Writing by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
