Afghan Warrior

US troops and Government forces have killed at least 20 Taliban militants in the mountains of the southeastern province of Zabul near the Pakistan border. US soldiers and the Afghan Army backed by war planes and American helicopters started bombarding the insurgents. The fighting began when an Afghan man complained to Afghan National Police officers of being beaten by a group of unknown militants. The man led the Afghan National Army forces and US forces to the location of the beating at which point they came under small-arms attack and one Afghan police officer was killed in the attack. US troops and Afghan police cordoned off the attackers by use of small-arms fire and air support from coalition war planes and the attackers escaped back to the mountains. According to the residents, hunderds of Taliban fighters from three districts were swarming all over the area. The rebels increasing attacks in recent weeks have proven that the insurgency is far from weakened. Six American soldiers and five Afghan policemen were injured during the fight against the militiants. Unspecified numbers of civilians were killed or injured in the air strikes. Six insurgents were arrested. The village leader was also detained after the villagers reported him as a Taliban member. It was one of the deadliest clashes in recent months. In another clash, 20 insurgents and nine Afghan soldiers were killed in the southern province of Kandahar after the Taliban ambushed the US and Afghan National Army forces on Wednesday evening. Clashes and bombings in recent weeks have killed dozens of rebels, Afghan soldiers, a few coalition forces and many civilians.