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Four militants killed, three US soldiers wounded in Afghan clash
(AFP), Khaleej Times
31 August 2003
KABUL - Four militants were killed and three US soldiers wounded on Sunday during a clash in southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, the US military said.
The US-led coalition soldiers killed the four in one-and-a-half-hours of fighting near Shkin, Paktika province, 220 kilometres (140 miles) south of Kabul, it said in a statement from the coalition’s Bagram Air Base headquarters north of Kabul.
“Three coalition soldiers were wounded when their element came in contact with enemy fighters at 9:00 am (0430 GMT) today approximately five miles (eight kilometres) northeast of Shkin in Paktika province,” it said.
“The US forces were conducting a combat mission in the vicinity of a firebase near Shkin when the engagement occurred.”
They called for reinforcements from the Shkin base and two A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft were also sent to provide air support.
“During the engagement four of the enemy fighters were killed. Coalition forces broke contact with the enemy about one and one-half hours after first contact,” it said.
The three wounded soldiers were evacuated by helicopter for treatment.
It was not known how many militants were involved in the attack and no further details were available.
The statement did not say who the attackers were, but similar clashes have been blamed on Taleban fighters, their Al Qaeda allies or extremists of renegade former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
At least 13 suspected Taleban were killed overnight in separate fighting between US-backed Afghan troops and militants in Zabul province, southwest of Paktika, according to Afghan officials.
Southeastern Afghanistan has been hit by a recent rise in violence blamed on apparently resurgent Taleban fighters.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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