Hundreds of Afghan troops backed by US soldiers and helicopters have attacked a suspected Taliban hide-out in southern Afghanistan, killing at least four rebels and an Afghan soldier.
The raid came in the Chaar Cheno district, about 90 miles northeast of Kandahar, after troops surrounded the suspected camp, said a local police chief.
The area is believed to be a Taliban stronghold. "We will either kill or capture these Taliban," he said.
A US military spokesman at its headquarters at Bagram, confirmed US troops were involved in the raid.
Fighters from the hardline Taliban Muslim militia, which was ousted in late 2001, are believed to have stepped up attacks against government troops, aid workers and US-led coalition forces in recent weeks.
Yesterday, gunmen ambushed a vehicle carrying two Americans, but no injuries were reported, a provincial police chief said today.
AP