Sixteen Taliban killed in Afghanistan

Thu Jun 11, 2009, 2:48 am ET

HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) –

Afghan security forces killed 16 Taliban fighters, including a man who appeared to be an Arab commander, in fighting in southwestern Afghanistan, a deputy provincial governor said Thursday.

The clashes Wednesday were in Farah province's Bala Buluk district, where US air strikes on Taliban fighters struck compounds last month. Kabul says 140 civilians were killed; the US military says 20-30 died.

"A clash that continued for some hours killed 15 Taliban," he said. The Taliban proxy deputy governor for the province, named Mullah Nik Mohammad, was also killed in the fighting, Rasouli said.

The deputy governor said that among the corpses was an Arab citizen who had apparently commanded the group of militants and was teaching them to carry out remote-controlled bombings and suicide attacks.

There was no way to independently confirm the information.

Rasouli said nine Taliban were also wounded in the fighting as were two women and two children.

Bala Buluk has a strong presence of fighters allied to the Taliban.

Afghan and international military authorities have said there are an increasing number of foreign fighters in Afghanistan where about 90,000 international soldiers are battling the Taliban fighters.