By Xinhua,
Kabul : Gun battle that erupted between police and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktia province in the wee hours of Tuesday left 12 insurgents dead, spokesman of the provincial administration Rohullah Samon said.
“It was almost after midnight when armed militants raided a police checkpoint in Syed Karam district and police returned fire killing 12 enemies,” Samon told Xinhua.
Samon also added that three shops nearby were destroyed in the battle that lasted for a while.
The militants, he added, had used small arms and rocket-propelled grenades while the police called in air power and inflicted casualties on them.
However, he did not say if there were any casualties on police or civilians.
Taliban operatives fighting Afghan and international troops have yet to make comments.
Attacks on international and Afghan troops are on the rise during the past weeks, especially in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban rebels continue to demonstrate their strength through suicide and roadside bombings.
Escalating insurgency and violent incidents have left around 2,000 people dead since January this year in the war-torn Afghanistan.