US-led troops killed a female civilian and nineteen militants in a clash and airstrike in southern Afghanistan, while nine rebels including a senior commander and two policemen were killed in separate attacks, officials said Sunday, according to DPA. Afghan and coalition forces killed 17 insurgents during an airstrike in Shah Wali Kot district of southern Kandahar province on Saturday, US military said in a statement. The combined forces received small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades as they targeted a "safe haven" of insurgents in the area, the statement said. The joint forces "returned fire with (light weapons) and supporting fire on the insurgent fighting positions, killing 17 militants." The troops also discovered a cache of ammunition and bomb making materials and destroyed them on site, it added. Meanwhile a woman civilian was killed when coalition forces clashed with militants in Zabul province on Thursday, US military said in a statement. Two militants were killed in the clash. One male civilian and two other female civilians were wounded in the firefight and taken to a military hospital for treatment, it said.
