« Islamists Release 9 Hostages in Pakistan | Home | 39 dead in Karachi rains »

60 insurgents killed near Pakistan

By admin | June 24, 2007

NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces killed about 60 insurgents along the border with Pakistan in what was described as the largest insurgent formation crossing the border region in six months, NATO said Saturday.
The U.S. commander in the region late Friday said the number of insurgents reported moving over the Afghan-Pakistan border has increased in recent months, though the higher numbers may be due to additional troops observing activity.

Attacks in that region — Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan where the U.S. military operates — rose 250 percent in May compared with May 2006, according to U.S. military data.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said about 60 insurgents attempted to attack Afghan and ISAF forces Friday in the Bermel district of Paktika province, near the Pakistan border.

The insurgents fired on aircraft, and NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces returned fire, killing about 60 fighters, an ISAF statement said.

The ISAF statement said it was the “largest formation observed since Jan. 10 maneuvering in this area.” In January, U.S. forces said they had killed around 130 of 180 insurgents crossing the border.

“These individuals clearly had weapons and used them against our aircraft as well as shooting rockets against our positions,” Col. Martin Schweitzer, commander of Task Force Fury, said in a statement. “This demonstrated intent to cause serious harm to the people of Bermel … This required their removal from the battle-space.”

There were no reported Pakistan military, coalition or Afghan forces injured or wounded during the engagement, ISAF said.

Meanwhile, in Kandahar province, Afghan and coalition soldiers killed nearly 20 enemy fighters in a seven-hour firefight, a coalition statement said.

In a separate interview, Schweitzer said an increase in U.S. and Afghan forces along the border has led to improved intelligence in the region.

Topics: Pakistan News |