Afghan and coalition forces killed 26 Taleban on the country's border with Pakistan on Wednesday while four civilians were killed in rocket attacks in the same area, a provincial governor said.
The rebels were killed in an operation in south eastern Paktika province that was launched in response to attacks in the Ziruk district, governor Mohammad Akram Khapelwak told AFP.
"Twenty-six Taleban have been killed so far in the firefight. The operation is still ongoing," he said. "It was a joint Afghan forces and coalition operation."
The coalition confirmed it was involved but did not immediately have details.
Four civilians were killed in the same province on Wednesday by three rockets that landed on homes in the Barmal district, also on the border with Pakistan, the governor said. Another 18 civilians were wounded, the governor said.
Regional military corps commander General Sami-ul-Haq said the target might have been army units in the area but the rockets landed on civilian houses. He put the death toll at two with nine wounded.
Similar attacks have been blamed on Taleban insurgents, many of whom are said to be based across the border.
The coalition also announced on Wednesday that one of its soldiers, an American, was killed and 15 suspected Taleban rebels were killed or wounded in battles in the south on Tuesday.
A second soldier, whose nationality was not revealed, died "while engaging enemy forces" in the eastern province of Kunar on Tuesday, the coalition also said in a statement.
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