48 Taliban militants killed in southern Afghanistan

Forty-eight Taliban insurgents were killed in Panjwyi district in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, an officer told Xinhua on Sunday.

As part of the ongoing Operation Mountain Thrust, coalition and Afghan forces on Saturday night attacked some Taliban militants hiding in an orchard in Panjwyi district, killing 48, said General Rahmatullah Raofi, a regional commander of the southern Afghan forces.

A helicopter gunship was called by coalition troops in the four- hour battle, he said, adding a weapons cache of AK-47s and rocket- propelled grenades was recovered.

No coalition or Afghan troop casualties were reported.

Over 11,000 coalition and Afghan forces launched the major phase of Mountain Thrust on June 15 in southern Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces to wipe out Taliban militants there.

About 180 Taliban insurgents have been killed in the massive operation since June 15, according to Afghan Defense Ministry's statistics.

Source: Xinhua