By KUNA,
Kabul : Several extremist militants were killed and a dozen more were detained during joint operations by Afghan and coalition forces in Khost and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan, the US military said on Saturday. Separately, a roadside bomb blast killed an Afghan child and injured four more people in southern Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday.
The first operation was conducted in Sabri district of the country’s southeastern Khost province on Friday, said the military statement released here. Afghan and coalition forces searched several compounds in the district targeting a Taliban extremist known to have assisted in IED attacks against Afghan government and coalition forces. During their search, the joint force identified two armed militants maneuvering against their force. They responded with small arms fire and air strikes, killing both militants.
Continuing their search, Afghan and coalition forces discovered several AK-47s, RPGs, other weapons, ammunition, and ammunition vests in the compounds and removed the items to prevent future use. Separately, eight militants were detained on May 16 during an Afghan and coalition forces operation to degrade anti-government extremist operations in Nangarhar province, said another statement.
Afghan and coalition forces searched compounds in the Achin district targeting a Taliban militant known to have facilitated IED (improvise explosive device) and rocket attacks against the government of Afghanistan and coalition forces.
During the course of the operation, coalition forces discovered remote-controlled IED initiation devices, several weapons, ammunition and several bags of narcotics. The items were eliminated to prevent future use, said the statement. The explosion that killed a child took place in Kandahar province when a bomb fitted on a bicycle went off with a big bang. Police said the attack was aimed to target a police vehicle passing through the area. As a result, a passerby child was killed while two policemen and as many civilians were injured.
The wounded people were rushed to hospital where their condition is stated to be satisfactory. In yet another incident, three more civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside landmine in the southeastern province of Paktia on Saturday, officials said.
Ghamy Khan, spokesman for the provincial government said the bomb was planted by enemies of the country, the term Afghan officials use for Taliban. However, the militants so far did not issue any comment. Two days back, the UN special rapporteur, who visited various provinces of Afghanistan for 12 days, had said in his report that militants often target civilians while planning to attack the foreign and Afghan security forces. He also expressed conceren over the killing of civilian casualties in operation by Afghan police, army and the NATO-led International Security Forces.