Kabul, July 12: Mainly British and Afghan troops have killed up to 200 insurgents in a major assault on Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan launched three weeks ago, the Afghan interior ministry said Sunday.
Thousands of NATO-led US Marines, British troops and Afghan security forces have been fighting their way into some of the most dangerous insurgent strongholds in the southern province of Helmand for weeks.
The operations are designed to clean out areas of rebels to allow Afghans to vote in presidential and provincial council elections due on August 20.
“We have killed around 150 to 200 enemy fighters” as part of the British-led Operation Panther’s Claw, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told reporters.
“This is not a final death toll as the operations continue,” the spokesman said.
It was the first official figure issued for insurgent casualties in the operation. Authorities have not said how many have been killed in a US Marines operation launched further south in Helmand on July 2.
A US Marine was killed by hostile fire on the first day of Operation Khanjar (dagger), one of the biggest anti-militant operations since 2001, while 15 British soldiers have died in 10 days as Panther’s Claw pushes on.
The Taliban were in power between 1996 and 2001 before they were toppled in a US-led offensive following the 9/11 attacks on US cities.
Since being ousted the remnants of the militia have been waging an insurgency aimed at regaining power.
–Agencies