Kabul - US-led coalition forces claimed Wednesday their
forces killed 32 insurgents, including an armed female militant, in
an operation against a roadside bomb making network in eastern
Afghanistan.
The combined forces targeted a group of 75 Taliban-led militants
in Alishang district of the eastern province of Laghman on Tuesday
and destroyed two large caches of weapons and roadside bomb
materials, the US military said in a statement.
'The targeted Taliban network was involved in planning, building
and emplacing roadside bombs as well as attacks against civilian and
Coalition forces throughout 2008,' the statement said.
The militants fired on the joint forces as they reached the
targeted village, the statement said, adding that the coalition
forces returned their fire only with small arms fire and avoided
using close air support or artillery in order to minimize the
potential for the civilians casualties.
The joint forces found two large caches of weapons and explosives
and destroyed them on the spot, because of the unstable nature of the
explosive munitions, it said, adding, 'Secondary blasts from the
unstable explosives destroyed the building they (militants) were
hidden in.'
Due to the remoteness of the area, it was difficult to verify the
claimed death toll independently. Such operations in populated areas
in the past have resulted in deaths of several civilians as well as
insurgents.
Separately, NATO forces rejected reports that several civilians
were killed during their operation in Bughran district of southern
Helmand province on Tuesday morning.
Afghan local media, quoting village residents, reported that up to
11 civilians, including a medical doctor, were killed in the NATO
operation, but the alliance said in a statement that those killed
were all insurgents.
'During the operation, a group of insurgents were positively
identified leaving a compound that had been under observation. When
these personnel were clear of the compound, they were engaged by ISAF
forces,' the statement said.
The statement said that the NATO-led international forces were
aware of allegations, but they had 'no knowledge of casualties other
than the positively identified insurgents.'
Civilian casualties at the hands of international forces have
become a sensitive issue for the Western-backed President Hamid
Karzai's government.
Karzai has repeatedly warned that increasing civilian deaths would
erode public support for his government and would provoke
anti-foreigner sentiments in Afghanistan.
At least 1,500 civilians were among 4,000 killed in the first
eight months of last year, according to United Nations officials in
Afghanistan.
USA
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