Coalition Forces Kill 32 Insurgents in Southern Afghanistan
29 March 2006
The U.S. military says American-led forces have killed 20 insurgents in southern Afghanistan following an attack by militants on coalition troops.
The military said Wednesday that coalition forces killed the insurgents and destroyed two Taleban headquarters during several hours of fighting in Helmand province.
Coalition forces earlier killed 12 insurgents when militants attacked their base in the province's Sangin district.
The U.S. and Canadian militaries separately confirm one American and one Canadian soldier were killed in the initial attack.
The U.S. military says four coalition troops and an Afghan soldier were wounded.
Helmand is Afghanistan's largest grower of opium poppies. It has been hit hard by a Taleban insurgency against foreign forces and the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taleban in late 2001, following the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States.
Violence has escalated in Afghanistan since the Taleban vowed to wage a major spring offensive against foreign and Afghan troops.
In Helmand on Tuesday, a roadside bomb blast killed six Afghan soldiers.
The blast came just hours after another roadside bombing in neighboring Kandahar province killed three Afghans and two foreigners.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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