Afghan border police kill 12 militants coming from Pakistan

USPA News - Twelve militants were killed by Afghan border police on early Saturday morning after a group of suspected Taliban fighters crossed the border from neighboring Pakistan, provincial officials said, adding that several militants were able to escape. The firefight between Afghan Border Police (ABP) and the militants happened in Ishenna Neri of Arghistan district, which is located in the northeastern part of Kandahar province that borders Pakistan.

It occurred in Afghanistan`s volatile southern region that was the birthplace of the Taliban movement two decades ago. Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Kandahar governor`s office, said the firefight lasted several hours and resulted in the deaths of twelve suspected militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is better known as the Pakistani Taliban. There were no casualties among Afghan security forces. "The enemies of Afghanistan planned to carry out attacks on ABP CP in the area, but the ABP, based on their updated intelligence reports, were already in ambush position to crush the enemies hard, which resulted in the killings of 12 extremists in action," Faisal said. "The engagement lasted for several hours." An unknown number of militants who survived the firefight were able to escape the area and crossed the disputed border into the Mazaki area of Pakistan. "A number of ammunition and weapons were also secured from the engagement area," the governor`s spokesperson said. Just hours earlier, in a separate incident in Kandahar province, two suspected Afghan Taliban fighters were killed when coalition forces carried out an airstrike on a road in the Gani area of Panjwai district, southwest of Kandahar City. There were no reports of civilian casualties or damage. "The fighters tried to emplace improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on a route to kill either ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) or innocent residents," Faisal said. "The dead bodies of the Taliban fighters were handed over to their relatives in the area. After the air attack, Afghan police in the area secured a number of ammos and weapons." A spokesperson for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed it carried out the airstrike, but gave no other details. "We can confirm a precision strike in Panjwai district, Kandahar province yesterday (Friday) that killed two enemies of Afghanistan," the spokesperson said. Last month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the fifth and final phase of security transition in which coalition forces hand over control of the remaining 95 districts - including Taliban stronghold areas in the south and east - to Afghan security forces. ISAF will still be responsible for military air support as well as support in combat operations until the end of 2014, when all foreign combat troops are due to leave the country.