US Says Troops Kill 25 Militants in Afghanistan

KABUL: U.S.-led coalition forces killed 25 militants, including a woman fighter, in separate raids aimed at a suspected al Qaeda commander and Taliban in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Saturday. One operation targeted a "known al Qaeda leader," in eastern Kunar province, it said without naming the suspect. "The al Qaeda leader is also believed to be in contact with other militants in the region ...." The seven militants killed in that operation included an armed woman, it said. The military did not say if the "al Qaeda leader" was among the dead. But villagers and a provincial official disputed the military's report. All those killed in the attack were civilians and belonged to one family, several residents said. A local official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed their accounts. Other raids targeted the network of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a top military commander for the Taliban-led insurgents in southeastern Khost, the military said. At least 18 militants were killed in those attacks in a compound, it said. It did not say whether there were any casualties among the coalition forces in any of those operations, but a separate statement Friday said one foreign soldier was killed in an engagement in an eastern area same day.




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