Afghan police chief claims 151 Taliban fighters killed in 12-day battle

At least 151 Taliban fighters have been killed by Afghan government forces during 12 days of fighting in the volatile east, near the border with Pakistan, the police chief of Kunar province has said.

General Abdul Habib Sayedkhaili said on Tuesday that at least another 100 insurgents had been wounded in the fighting in Dangam district. He said the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – the group responsible for the attacks on Mumbai in 2008 in which more than 160 people were killed – were also taking part in the battle.

“That 17 foreign fighters were killed during the battle prove[s] that foreigners are supporting local insurgents in the area,” he said.

“As Dangam is so close to the border, it is very easy for them to cross the border into Afghanistan and help the insurgents here,” he said. “We are very careful with conducting our operations to prevent civilian casualties.”

The presence of foreign fighters in Taliban battles in Afghanistan is not unusual. The Afghan Taliban leadership is believed to be based in the Pakistani city of Quetta, and Kabul has long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the group. Dangam is 2.5 miles (4km) from the porous border.

Kabul and Islamabad have discussed joining forces to launch operations against insurgent groups following last week’s school massacre in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, in which Pakistani Taliban fighters killed more than 140 people, mainly children.

General Sher Muhammad Karimi, chief of the general staff of the Afghan army and General John Campbell, commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, met the head of the Pakistani army, General Raheel Sharif, in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Pakistani military said in a statement.  Read More at Guardian