Scores Of Afghan Militants Killed, Bomb Plot Foiled
September 5, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces say they have killed nearly three dozen militants in clashes in southern Afghanistan.
The U.S. military said in a statement today that nearly two dozen militants were killed in two separate clashes in Kandahar Province on September 4.
Another 10 militants were killed when suspected Taliban fighters attacked a military observation post in neighboring Uruzgan Province with rocket-propelled grenades.
In a separate incident, security officials in southern Afghanistan said they foiled a planned bomb attack in the city of Kandahar.
Officials said three men traveling in a vehicle packed with explosives were detained late on September 4. They were allegedly planning a bombing in Kandahar's Mirbazar area.
RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reported that the driver of the vehicle denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
Bombing Death Toll
Meanwhile today, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said that nearly 230 Afghan civilians have died in bomb attacks linked to the Taliban this year, and another 650 civilians have been wounded in the attacks.
Major Charles Anthony, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, said about 12 percent of those casualties took place in the past two weeks.
Earlier this week, Bashary said some 500 Afghan police officers have been killed in Taliban-related violence since March.
(with material from agency reports)