Nato troops 'kill 48 insurgents'

Nato troops killed 48 suspected militants in three separate battles in southern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghan police and Western troops seized more than 10 tonnes of marijuana from a truck.

At least four civilians were wounded in the clashes in Kandahar’s Zhari and Panjwayi districts on Tuesday, the alliance said, adding that they were receiving treatment at military medical facilities.

The clashes had targeted militants who were attacking Nato’s development efforts in the area.

Nato-led troops used mortar, artillery and air support in the rolling clashes with large groups of insurgents, a Nato statement said.

The troops “positively identified insurgents, killing an estimated 48,” Nato said. “We deeply regret any civilian casualties caused.”

Nato forces launched a major military operation in the Panjwayi area in September. The alliance said it killed more than 500 suspected militants during that offensive.

Nato-led troops and Afghan police, meanwhile, seized over 10.3 tonnes of marijuana from a truck in southern Afghanistan.

The truck was stopped near Qalat in Zabul province on a road that links the southern city of Kandahar to Kabul.

In the country’s west, US and Afghan troops recovered over 55 kilograms of opium from a car in Farah province, another Nato statement said.

The US soldiers were supporting an Afghan National Army checkpoint when a car failed to stop.

An Afghan soldier noticed a suspicious bag where the spare tyre was supposed to be and alerted the next checkpoint. A search of the vehicle there netted 55 kilograms of opium.

Afghanistan’s world-leading opium cultivation rose 59 percent this year, according to UN figures released last month.

Opium cultivation has surged since the ousting of the Taliban in late 2001.

The former regime had enforced an effective ban on poppy growing by threatening to jail farmers – virtually eradicating the crop in 2000.

However, Afghan and Western counter-narcotics officials say Taliban-led militants are now implicated in the drug trade, encouraging poppy cultivation and using the proceeds to help fund their insurgency.

The UN anti-drug chief also urged the government to crack down on big traffickers and remove corrupt officials and police officers fuelling the trade.