May 24, 2007, 9:07 GMT
Kabul - Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed 18 suspected Taliban, including seven foreign fighters and an Afghan commander, in two clashes in southern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
Seven foreign and six Afghan militants - includingMullah Saifullah, a local Taliban commander - were killed Wednesday in the Maiwand district of Helmand province in fighting with Afghan police and coalition forces, the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement.
During the four-hour battle, which was conducted both by air and ground forces, several Taliban heavy artillery weapons were destroyed, the statement said.
Meanwhile, five other suspected Taliban were killed Wednesday during a five-hour gunbattle with Afghan and coalition forces in the Joy Shahi area of Helmand's Sangin district, the statement added.
The coalition, talking about the same incident in Sangin, said more than 25 Taliban fighters, positioned in three compounds, attacked coalition forces with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
'Coalition forces returned fire and suppressed the enemy fighting positions,' the statement said, adding, 'Coalition forces killed several Taliban fighters and destroyed two enemy positions during the six-hour battle.'
Violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan for the past several weeks. The Taliban-led fighting has left more than 1,700 people dead, mostly insurgents, so far this year.
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