KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - NATO killed dozens of Taliban insurgents in an air strike on Sunday in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Khost, the provincial governor said.
Violence has escalated in Afghanistan over the past twoyears after the ousted Taliban regrouped and launched theirinsurgency against the government and the foreign troopsbacking it.
The pre-dawn raid was summoned to fend off an attack by theinsurgents in Spera district, which lies near the border withPakistan, Arsala Jamal said.
"The Taliban attacked the headquarters of Spera district,killed two police and also damaged the building early thismorning," he told reporters.
"We had little force there and asked NATO for air support... NATO air strikes killed 50 to 70 insurgents," he said.
NATO said the insurgents numbered about 100 and it had usedhelicopters in the attack.
"Initial reports indicate that a small number of ANP(Afghan National Police) officers have been killed and woundedand the number of insurgents killed is in double-digitfigures," it said in a statement.
The Taliban said the group suffered no casualties, addingits fighters killed eight police in the attack on the districtheadquarters.
If confirmed, the casualties will be one of the highest inrecent weeks among the Taliban who were removed from power in2001 by U.S.-led troops.
Hours after the attack, a suicide bomber in a separate areaof Khost blew himself up at the gate of an Afghan roadconstruction company, killing a guard and wounding six otherpeople, another official said.
The Taliban are mostly active in southern and eastern areasbordering Pakistan where the militants have sanctuaries inPakistan's lawless tribal region, dominated by ethnic Pashtunswho mostly form the Taliban's ranks.
(Writing by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by David Fogarty)
