By KUNA,
Kabul : Afghan officials claimed they had killed at least five Taliban who were hiding in a house in Kabul and were planning to launch an attack in the city in the morning.
The shootout erupted in an area near the historical Baghe Babar, located in the western part of the city.
Officials said the militants were holed up by the security forces on the basis of intelligence reports. They fired on the troops surrounding the house which sparked the exchange of fire.
Although the Ministry of Interior or Defence are yet to confirm the killing of militants, intelligence officials said five armed men had been eliminated in the exchange of fire that lasted for nearly seven hours.
An Afghan legislator and three more people were killed when militants attacked the Mujahideen Day parade in the city on April 27. President Karzai, his cabinet members and diplomats left the parade after the incident.
Meanwhile, a statement from ISAF headquarters released late Tuesday night said one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded while on patrol in Tagab Valley of Kapisa province.
“Our thoughts and hearts are with the family and friends of these brave soldiers,” said Brigadier General Carlos Branco, ISAF okesperson.
In accordance with ISAF policy, ISAF does not release the victims’s nationality prior to the relevant national authority doing so, said the statement.
Afghanistan Kapisa province is located north of the central capital Kabul. The province is known as a strong base of the Hezbe Islami of former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.