Three Taliban killed in latest Afghan violence

Afghan and coalition forces killed three suspected militants today in southern Afghanistan.

In a separate incident, a roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying police cadets, wounding two and a nearby civilian.

The US-led coalition said the three extremists were killed after firing at Afghan and coalition forces during an operation near Gereshk district in Helmand province.

The coalition said it had been targeting a Taliban leader who facilitated suicide bombings, but it did not know if he was one of the three killed.

Nato-led troops recently launched their largest offensive yet in the northern part of Helmand, a stronghold for Taliban insurgents who have stepped up attacks over the past year and are threatening a fresh offensive this spring.

In the southern city of Kandahar, a bomb hidden in a handcart exploded this morning as a police academy bus was passing. Two police cadets and a civilian on a motorcycle were wounded, said Ismail Jan, a police officer from the academy.