Afghanistan: Troops kill 17 insurgents

Nato and Afghan troops killed 17 insurgents in an hours-long gun battle in southern Helmand province, an Afghan official said today.

The fighting lasted 12 hours yesterday and took place in the Dishu district, said provincial government spokesman Daud Ahmadi.

Nato and Afghan troops began pushing into the insurgency’s stronghold in the south in July. The have established some pockets of security, but attacks have increased in other areas of the country.

Also today, militants attacked a convoy carrying supplies for the police, Education Ministry, and the UN’s World Food Program in western Nimroz province, said provincial police chief General Abdul Jabar Pardeli. Six militants were killed and one policeman was wounded in the gun battle, which lasted for more than two hours.