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8 Nato troops, 13 Taliban killed
Nine bodies brought to Wana for burial
Kabul—Eight coalition soldiers were killed in
Taliban attack in Paktika province of Afghanistan. Thirteen Taliban
militants were also killed in the clash.
Nine bodies of the Taliban militants were brought back to South
Waziristan, for burial on Sunday.
The skirmish in Paktika left 13 Taliban militants and eight NATO and
Afghan troops, including a colonel, dead. Among the dead men was
Maulana Muhammad Iqbal, deputy chief of Mullah Nazir’s group.
Besides the nine men from South Waziristan, two militants from
Punjab were also killed.
The Taliban rebels were killed in two separate raids by Afghan
soldiers and their NATO allies in troubled eastern Afghanistan, the
army said Sunday.
Four Taliban-linked rebels were killed Saturday in an operation by
US-sponsored Afghan national army troops in eastern Paktia province,
army spokesman Mohammad Gul told.
The same day, three Taliban militants were killed after Afghan
troops backed by NATO gunship helicopters attacked them in the
neighbouring province of Khost, a troubled region on the Pakistani
border, Gul said.
Four other militants, one of whom was wounded, were captured, Gul
said.
“We suffered no casualties in those operations,” he said.
The Taliban, ousted from government in a US-led invasion in 2001,
have been waging an insurgency which has intensified in the past two
years.
A 70,000-strong international force, mainly operating under NATO,
helps local security forces to tackle the insurgents who are
particularly active in eastern and southern regions of the country.
The Islamic rebels meanwhile have used roadside and suicide bombings
against the heavily armed foreign and Afghan troops. Six
international soldiers have been killed in the Taliban-linked unrest
this month.
Fifty-three foreign troops have died so far this year. Bodies of
nine local Taliban, who were killed by the US forces in Afghanistan,
have arrived in Wana, South Waziristan.
BBC reports that at least thirty militants led by Mulla Nazir Group
crossed the border around twenty to twenty five days ago.
It is reported that Taliban attacked on convoy of NATO forces in the
area of District Uruzgan of Paktika, which inflicted heave damage to
the forces.
When the militants were returning after the attack, the US planes
targeted them in which twelve of them were killed and some of them
also detained by the forces. The rest of militants have taken nine
bodies to Wana whereas three bodies are still in Afghanistan. Deputy
Commander of Mulla Nazir Group, Maulana Muhammad Iqbal was also
killed in the attack.
Seven of the deceased are from Wana whereas two of them are from
Punjab. It is difficult for locals to identify the bodies as it was
badly damaged owing to burn injuries.
The AFP reports that these militants attacked on NATO convoy in the
area of Gardaze due to which eight army men were killed and
destroyed number of tanks.—Agencies
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