The coalition forces killed 40 Taliban in separate battles in the troubled country, authorities said on Sunday.In one incident, the Taliban ambushed a joint Afghan and foreign forces patrol in the Shinkay district of Zabul province, late on Saturday, which sparked an exchange of gunfire, Zabul Police chief Abdul Rehman Sarjang told AFP.
"Twenty-two Taliban were killed. The militants left the bodies behind. Four are Pakistani nationals and the rest are Afghans," he said. Sarjang added that the international forces called for air support after the ambush. There were no casualties to the joint forces, he said.
Separately, troops killed 18 insurgents in the northeastern province of Kunar overnight, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The Afghan and ISAF forces had been able to identify the group as Taliban and ambushed them, an officer said.