Troops killed 44 militants in Afghanistan, officials said Saturday, as around a dozen police and soldiers were still missing following a major clash and believed to be in Taliban hands. Thirty-three of the militants were killed in a firefight Friday in the southern province of Helmand, a Taliban stronghold where several districts are said to be in the hands of the al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
Afghan and US-led coalition soldiers had been on patrol about 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Kandahar city when they came under attack, a coalition statement said. "ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) and coalition forces returned fire primarily with small-arms fire and limited close-air support, killing 33 militants," it said.
Seven "enemies" were killed in a battle with Afghan troops in the south-western province of Farah on Friday, the defence ministry said separately. And coalition troops killed four Taliban, including a commander who had disguised himself as a woman by wearing a burqa to cover his face, in central Ghazni province, another statement said.
The battle between Afghan and international security forces and extremists, mainly from the Taliban, has stepped up over the past year. More than 5,100 insurgents have been killed as have more than 1,000 Afghan security forces and 267 international soldiers.
More than 1,100 civilians have lost their lives, most in insurgent attacks. Afghan forces said around 14 troops were still missing from an attack by about 200 Taliban on a 70-vehicle logistics convoy in the north-western province of Badghis on Thursday which killed 12 Afghan police and soldiers. "They are in the Taliban's detention," regional army commander General Fazal Ahmad Saiar said. Authorities had said Friday the men may have taken up positions elsewhere.
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