The US military said today its forces had killed 11 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in the past three days.
US military spokesman Major Ralph Marino told a news briefing that warplanes killed 11 Taliban fighters in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Zabul in the past 72 hours.
The aircraft were supporting US-led and Afghan ground forces engaged in "Operation Mountain Viper". There were no reported casualties among the US-led coalition or damage to equipment.
"Operation Mountain Viper" was launched in August in response to the presence of hundreds of Taliban guerrillas and their allies in Uruzgan and Zabul provinces, and over 100 rebels have been killed, mainly by air attacks by jets and helicopters.
The Taliban has declared a "jihad", or holy war against foreign forces in Afghanistan and their allies.
It has stepped up attacks in the last two months, leading to the worst violence in Afghanistan since the hardline Islamic regime was ousted late in 2001.