Warplanes pound Afghan caves

Warplanes pounded dozens of insurgents holed up in caves in southern Afghanistan following a gun battle between the militants and US troops.

The clash occurred yesterday near Tirin Kot, 50 miles south-west of the capital, Kabul, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tucker Mansager said.

The militants sought refuge in the caves, and coalition forces called in “air support that dealt with those caves,” Mansager said.

He said no US soldiers were hurt and had no information on any casualties among the militants, who he said numbered ”probably in the 10s and 20s.”

Both Taliban-led militants and US forces have stepped up operations across the south and east, sparking a series of clashes that have left dozens of militants and several US soldiers dead.

The militants are accused of trying to sabotage the country’s first post-Taliban elections, due in September.