Afghan and foreign troops called in air strikes as they battled insurgents in a series of clashes that left at least 23 insurgents dead and 20 others wounded, officials said Tuesday. The clashes happened in eastern and southern Afghanistan, where Taliban and other groups are waging an insurgency against government and foreign forces, the Associated Press reported. The joint forces clashed with insurgents in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province on Monday, leaving six Taliban fighters dead and eight others wounded, said Zia Wali, a spokesman for the provincial governor. There were no casualties among the Afghan and foreign forces, Wali said. In southwestern Nimroz province, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops killed several insurgents Monday during a clash in Khash Rod district, a coalition statement said Tuesday. The troops were targeting an insurgent involved in the movement of weapons and fighters in the area, it said. They detained 14 other suspected insurgents during the raid. In other violence, U.S. and Afghan troops fought off coordinated insurgent attacks in eastern Afghanistan and called in airstrikes that left a dozen insurgents dead and a dozen more wounded, the U.S. military said in a statement. As many as 40 insurgents attacked five military outposts Sunday in the Korangal Valley of eastern Kunar province using small-arms fire, rockets and mortars, the statement said. No U.S. or Afghan soldiers were hurt, the Associated Press reported.
