Thirteen Taliban killed in Afghan clashes

KABUL, Jan 16 (Reuters) Thirteen insurgents were killed as NATO and government troops fought a series of clashes with Taliban in southern Afghanistan, the government said today.

Violence in Afghanistan has eased off since winter set in but there have been several big clashes in the south and east in recent days. A fresh Taliban offensive is expected in the spring.

Two British members of the NATO force have been killed in fighting in Helmand province in recent days.

NATO said a significant number of insurgents were killed in a series of clashes involving NATO air attacks in Helmand's Garmsher district yesterday.

''ISAF is aware of a significant number of insurgent casualties but we are unable to confirm numbers,'' said a spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said 13 Taliban were killed, including two local-level commanders.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates began a visit to Afghanistan late yesterday, aiming to ensure commanders have the resources to counter the expected Taliban offensive.

Last year was the bloodiest since the Taliban were defeated in 2001. Most of the violence has been in areas on the Pakistani border.

In a separate incident, police in Kabul detained a would-be suicide car-bomber after stopping and searching his vehicle near a NATO base. It was not immediately clear why the bomber did not set off his explosives.

NATO troops detonated the car-bomb in a controlled explosion.

Five people in a nearby office were hurt by glass when the blast blew in their window, Bashary said.

REUTERS SP MIR RAI1857