US Marines and Afghan soldiers killed 40 Taliban fighters in a joint operation in Afghanistan's west on Monday, the Afghan army said. "At the request of the local population an operation was launched by the Afghan army and the US Marines in the district of Bala Buluk" in the western province of Farah, Afghan army commander Jalandar Shah Dehnam told AFP.
During this operation 40 Taliban were killed and a number were injured, he said, adding that six Afghan soldiers had also been wounded. "We do not know if the Americans sustained any casualties," he said. A US army spokesman contacted by AFP confirmed that an operation was under way in Farah, but did not give further details.
Mohammad Younus Rasoli, deputy governor for the province said: "More than 30 Taliban have been killed and a number of others wounded." The operation was launched overnight Sunday to Monday. "These Taliban have come from abroad and set themselves up in this area," Rasoli said, a reference to Farah's border with Iran.
"Kidnapping and other crime has risen rapidly. That is why people living here have demanded action." Dehnam said the operation was concentrated on the village of Shiwan. "We have occupied the village and destroyed the Taliban bases. The insurgents have fled north" with 10 civilian hostages, he said.
Afghan forces made a number of intelligence-led arrests, Denham told AFP, adding that several local Taliban commanders were among the dead from the operation. The Bala Baluk district has long been an insurgent stronghold, where violence flares frequently.
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