NATO warplanes called in by the Afghan army bombed and killed 19 militants in southern Afghanistan, taking the toll from a four-day operation to 99, the defence ministry said on Monday. The 19 were killed in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday, it said in a statement. | The fiercest clashes were on Thursday and left 69 militants and seven policemen dead, Afghan officials said. |
Operation Nawrozi (New Year) is the first large operation launched by Afghan forces with NATO air support but not ground troops. The fiercest clashes were on Thursday and left 69 militants and seven policemen dead, Afghan officials said. The ministry said nine suspected militants were also arrested in the Gereshk area on Sunday, two of them carrying the bodies of their dead comrades. The forces also seized light weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and landmines.