Over 30 Taliban militants have been killed in a NATO military operation in southern Afghanistan, Helmand provincial government spokesman Daud Ahmadi said on Thursday.
The operation took place in the province's Nad Ali district late on Wednesday.
"During the operation, 32 Taliban fighters were killed," he said.
Three Afghan soldiers were also killed and three others wounded.
The operation comes ahead of a major offensive against the radical Taliban movement by NATO and Afghan forces. The timeframe for the operation has not been disclosed.
Violence surged in the war-ravaged Central Asian state in 2009, with the radical Islamic Taliban staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and civilians and planting roadside devices as part of its fight to regain control of the country. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before being toppled by U.S.-led forces.
In early December, U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in the first part of 2010. However, with mounting deaths among troops, the Western allies hope to start a gradual withdrawal as early as in 2011, transferring security tasks to the Afghan army and police.
KABUL, February 4 (RIA Novosti)
