Two US soldiers among 16 killed in Afghanistan

KUNDUZ - Two US soldiers and 14 Taliban fighters were killed Wednesday in a joint operation by Afghan and foreign troops in the northern province of Kunduz, officials said.

Coalition warplanes pounded militant positions as Afghan and US forces swept through Bagh Sharkat, an area in the provincial capital, also named Kunduz, Governor Mohammad Omar said.

“As a result of this clearing operation, 14 Taliban insurgents were killed and a vast area was cleared of enemy forces,” Omar said.

Two Taliban commanders, Qari Latif and Talib Shah, were among those killed, he said.

As the combined forces were entering the area, a US military vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, killing two US soldiers and injuring three, said a security official who did not want to be named.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which includes the United States, said in Kabul that two of its soldiers were killed in an explosion in northern Afghanistan but did not reveal the nationalities of the deceased soldiers.

The military operation comes amid increased attacks in recent months by Taliban insurgents in Kunduz and neighbouring Baghlan province, which are both located in the relatively peaceful north.

A US soldier was killed and three were injured in a roadside bombing Saturday in Kunduz while two German soldiers were injured in a similar attack the following day.

US and German troops are stationed in Kunduz as part of the more than 120,000 foreign soldiers in the country. The total number of foreign troops is set to peak at 150,000 by summer.

German troops were not involved in Wednesday’s operation, according to a German military official.