KHOST CITY (PAN): NATO forces say 35 Taliban insurgents were killed as they fired missiles into a mountainous area in southeastern Afghanistan on Saturday night.

NATO media office in Khost province told Pajhwok Afghan Argoon News on Sunday the attack was carried out into a mountainous area between (Paktika) and Spirai district (Khost).

The missile attack killed 35 Taliban. After the attack, the forces ascended the area from where they recovered a sizeable cache of weapons, said the alliance.

Meanwhile, NATO media office in Kabul said the militants killed in the attacks were belonging to the Haqqani network.

A complex of bunkers, weapons and other structures were destroyed in the August 28 raid in Paktika province, said the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It added the bunkers were used by the insurgents as a logistics base and safe haven for foreign fighters operating in the region.

The joint force conducted the operation in a remote location in the mountains of Orgun district, where the troops were engaged by small arms fire from militants on several occasions during the operation that lasted close to 24 hours.

Using direct fire and close air support to repel the attacks, the troops killed a large number of militants and recovered multiple antiaircraft artillery pieces, two heavy machine guns, as many light machine guns, several assault rifles, multiple chest racks, and ammunition and communications gear.

In a statement, the NATO-led force said the soldiers destroyed the bunker complex and all enemy weaponry in place. There were no civilian casualties during the operation, it added.

Commander of first battalion of the 203rd Thunder Military Corps Zaheer Wardak said the operation was part of the Thunder Five operation underway in different parts of Khost province.

He added the forces were monitoring Duran Line to stop infiltration by helicopters.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said no Taliban were killed in the attack. He said the forces killed those tree cutters who had established their camp in the mountainous area.

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