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Afghanistan clashes leave 75 dead

KABUL: Fighting around Afghanistan killed about 75 persons just as the holy month of Ramadan began, including 45 suspected Taliban militants who died in airstrikes and Afghan army gunfire, officials said on Thursday.

The battle in the southern province of Uruzgan on Wednesday began when insurgents attacked a joint Afghan army and U.S.-led coalition patrol with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, the coalition said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Afghan soldiers “cleared” Taliban fighters from firing positions within the village of Aduzay, while attack aircraft destroyed some fighting positions, it said. The coalition said more than 45 Taliban were killed.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said insurgents increased attacks during Ramadan last year and that they could do the same this year.

“On the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, the enemies of Afghanistan have shown they will shun peaceful coexistence in favour of attacking government forces,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman. “Fortunately for the citizens of Afghanistan, the ANA [Afghan National Army] is improving their tactics.”

No Afghan or coalition soldiers were wounded or killed. It was not possible to confirm the death toll independently because of the remote location of the fighting. Fighting has increased dramatically the last several weeks in Afghanistan, with more than 300 suspected Taliban fighters killed since late August, according to the U.S.-led coalition.

More than 4,300 persons — mostly militants — have died in insurgency related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.

In the Zhari district of Kandahar province, an Afghan-NATO patrol defused three roadside bombs and shortly after was ambushed by Taliban fighters. — AP

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