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18 Taliban killed in western Afghanistan fighting

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The Associated Press

Published: May 31, 2009

KABUL - Afghan and NATO troops killed 18 Taliban militants Sunday after insurgents attacked a joint patrol, while four police were killed in a separate militant ambush, Afghan officials said.

Militants attacked the troops in the western province of Farah, the site of a major battle with numerous civilian casualties in early May. Soon after the attack, the new U.S. ambassador and President Hamid Karzai visited in an apparent effort to ease local anger.

Sunday's battle killed 18 militants in the district of Khaki Safed, said Juma Khan, a police official in Farah. Neither Afghan nor NATO troops suffered any casualties, he said.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the battle began after the patrol was attacked with mortars.

The NATO-led force said "around 20" militants were killed in the fight. The U.S. military said ten militants were killed. It wasn't clear why the different forces gave differing death tolls.

The U.S. military said the combined forces held a meeting with villagers after the battle to see if any civilians were injured or killed in the fight. Villagers said the battle caused no civilian casualties, the U.S. military said.

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