15 Militants Killed in Airstrike, Clashes in Afghanistan
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A NATO airstrike on militants planting a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan left five suspected insurgents dead, while a clash in the west killed another 10 militants, officials said Tuesday.
The airstrike happened as the group was spotted digging on the road and laying a roadside bomb in Bermel district, in Paktika province, late Sunday, said Sgt. 1st Class Dean Welch, a U.S.-led coalition spokesman.
Authorities retrieved the bodies, which were later handed over to village elders from Bermel, said provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkheil.
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Militants frequently use roadside bombs to target Afghan and foreign troops.
In western Farah province, a large group of insurgents attacked a government building in Bakwa district on Tuesday, sparking a four-hour battle that left a police officer and 10 suspected militants dead, said Ahmad Khan, a police officer.
Afghanistan is going through its most violent period since the U.S. invasion six years ago. More than 5,100 people — mostly militants — have died in insurgency-related violence in 2007, according to an Associated Press count based on information from Afghan and Western officials.