Airstrike kills 26 Taliban insurgents in S. Afghanistan: Official

• Source: Xinhua
• [11:19 June 21 2009]
• Comments

Air raids against Taliban fighters in Taliban hotbed Helmand province south of Afghanistan have left over two dozen militants dead, Daud Ahmadi the spokesman for provincial administration said Saturday.

"A group of the Taliban fighters were busy in planting mines on the road in Babajee area outside provincial capital Lashkar Gah on Friday night when the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) dropped bombs after getting information, killing 26 on the spot," Ahmadi told Xinhua.

However, he did not say if there were any casualties on civilians as it has always been a sensitive issue in the military operation by international troops.

Air raids against Taliban fighters sometimes harmed non- combatants as heavy bombardments against Taliban hideouts in Balablok district of the western Farah province left over 140 civilian dead in early May.

 Taliban fighters have vowed to speed up activities this year in Afghanistan.