At least 29 militants, including two commanders, were killed over four days of intense fighting aimed at protecting supply routes through northern Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. An Afghan policeman was also killed during mine clearance operations in the southern province of Kandahar, the Interior Ministry said.Afghan and international forces launched an offensive last week in the northern province of Baghlan to push the Taliban out of a number of districts, including the outskirts of the provincial capital, about 190 kilometers north of Kabul. Insurgents had stepped up attacks in the formerly calm province as part of efforts to disrupt a key northern overland supply route for international forces.
NATO air strikes bombarded insurgent positions, killing 29 and injuring 52, said Zemeri Bashary, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
At least three Afghan police and four German soldiers have been killed in the fighting. Bashary said the operation was continuing on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, a foreign soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in the most volatile part of Afghanistan.