Scores of Taliban killed in Afghan battle: Police

Kandahar (Afghanistan), Aug 20: More than 70 Taliban guerrillas have been killed in fighting with NATO and Afghan forces in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a provincial police official said today.

Four policemen were also killed in the battle in Panjwai district, southwest of Kandahar city, that erupted late yesterday, said Panjwai police chief Neyaz Mohammad Sarhadi.

''So far, we've recovered the bodies of 72 Taliban,'' Sarhadi told Reuters.

He said the battle began when hundreds of Taliban attacked government headquarters in the district where clashes have erupted regularly since May when hundreds of Taliban were found to have infiltrated.

NATO aircraft were also involved in the fighting that raged through the night, he said.

A NATO spokesman, Major Scott Lundy, said the Taliban had suffered significant casualties. He said the NATO force had not suffered losses.

A Taliban spokesman told a Pakistan-based news agency 12 Taliban were killed while at least 30 NATO and government troops had died. NATO aircraft had killed many civilians, the spokesman told the Afghan Islamic Press.

Afghanistan is experiencing its worst violence since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. Although the insurgents are not in a position to defeat the Western-backed government, the war is sapping support for President Hamid Karzai, analysts say.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in violence this year, most of them militants but including more than 90 foreign troops. Four foreign soldiers were killed in clashes yesterday.

In a separate incident, three policemen and four Taliban were killed in a yesterday clash in Farah province in the west, police said.

Most of the violence has been in the south where NATO assumed responsibility for security from a separate US-led force last month.

The NATO mission, the biggest ground operation in its history, should allow the US military to trim the size of its Afghan force.

There are now more than 35,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.

They are confronting a resurgent Taliban fueled by funds from the drugs trade and support from international militant networks.

They are also benefitting from sanctuaries on the Pakistani side of the lawless Afghan-Pakistani border.

''MISTAKES'' The unpopular war, though largely confined to the south and east, is disastrous for efforts to breathe life into the economy. It is also undermining support for Karzai, who has led the country since the Taliban were ousted. Karzai, in an Independence Day statement issued late on Saturday, said international forces at times made mistakes and he called for greater coordination with the government.

''Every now and then, the international coalition against terrorism during its operations, commits mistakes,'' Karzai said.

''Such mistakes incur losses to people and anger them. The campaign against terrorism should be arranged with the coordination of our security and defence authorities,'' he said.

Karzai also demanded and end to what he called ''irresponsible'' bombing and intrusive searches, that have angered many in the south and east.

Karzai has in the past made several similar calls.

Police said last week aircraft from the US-led coalition mistakenly bombed and killed 12 policemen. The US military said it was investigating.

US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001 after they refused to hand over Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 attacks.

REUTERS