Foreign militants among 25 killed in Nuristan

JALALABAD (PAN-led forces have killed 25 militants, including some foreigners, during a joint operation in the remote eastern province of Nuristan, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The fighters were killed during the three-day operation, still ongoing, in the Awala Gul area of Barg-i-Matal district, Governor Jamaluddin Badr told Pajhwok Afghan News. The dead included Chechen, Arab and Pakistani rebels, he said.

He hoped the offensive would be extended to all parts of the province, where the guerrillas were active. Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s death had demoralised the insurgents, he believed, calling for relocating border police from Barikot district of Kunar to Barg-i-Matal.

Brig. Gen. Aminullah Amarkhel, the border police chief for the eastern zone, confirmed three days of clashes in the district, which has changed hands several times over the past couple of years. However, he did not give specific casualty figures.

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