A Canadian soldier and 10 militants were killed on Sunday in fierce fighting near an opium-rich Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, the military said. The battle took place in Zharew district of the southern Kandahar province, which abuts the Panjwayi area. Canadian and Afghan troops have been battling militants in the area since early Saturday in support of Operation Mountain Thrust, a region-wide offensive targeting Taliban strongholds. Canadian military spokesman Maj Marc Theriault said Cpl Anthony Boneca was killed during a “combined coalition-Afghan operation” early on Sunday.
Several hours later, “intense close quarters” fighting broke out nearby, leaving at least five Taliban militants dead and two Canadian soldiers slightly wounded, said another coalition official, A coalition patrol found the bodies of 10 militants on Sunday killed in a coalition air strike in Panjwayi, the military said in a statement. Two Canadian troops were reported wounded in Panjwayi violence on Saturday.
Afghan soldiers also arrested four suspected Taliban members, including a local leader identified as Mullah Nazar, in southern Uruzgan province, the Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement. The troops also confiscated a quantity of explosives and Iranian and Pakistani checks valued at $300,000. |