Coalition and Afghan troops have killed about 45 Taliban insurgents in strikes in southern Afghanistan, as two soldiers were killed in combat operations in the east, the US-led force said.
By
AFP

Source:
AFP
17 Jun 2006 - 12:00 AM  UPDATED 22 Aug 2013 - 12:18 PM

About 40 insurgents were killed in an attack on a "known enemy camp" in Uruzgan province, while another five were killed in a separate operation in the same province, the coalition said.

The two coalition soldiers were killed while on patrol in the eastern province of Kunar, it said, without releasing their nationalities.

Taliban compounds targeted

The larger coalition attack was in the west of Uruzgan where "coalition forces engaged the enemy in a compound, killing an estimated 40 insurgents while they were meeting at a known enemy camp," a statement said.

Coalition forces waited until more than 50 people were present at the meeting before attacking, coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fitzpatrick said.

"The compound was severely damaged, and we anticipate most of those present were killed," he said.

The Taliban at the meeting included men from a cell that made bombs, financiers and area leaders responsible for numerous attacks, the coalition statement said.

The second attack took place northeast of the provincial capital Tirin Kot, a separate statement said.

Afghan and coalition forces raided a known Taliban compound, killing five insurgents. One US soldier was wounded and was in a stable condition.

The two coalition soldiers were killed near the Kunar provincial capital Asadabad when their vehicle struck a bomb planted in the road.

About 30 coalition soldiers have been killed in action in Afghanistan this year, most of them Americans who form the bulk of the US-led coalition that is hunting down Taliban and other militants in the south and east of the country.