Militants killed in Afghan, NATO offensive
Updated
![Afghan army soldiers patrol in the southern city of Kandahar. [Reuters]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/afghan_kandahar_rtr_180608.jpg "Afghan army soldiers patrol in the southern city of Kandahar. [Reuters]")
Afghan army soldiers patrol in the southern city of Kandahar. [Reuters]
The Afghan defence ministry says NATO warplanes have killed at least 20 militants during a major offensive against Taliban rebels on the outskirts of Kandahar city.
Two Afghan soldiers have also been killed.
The Afghan army is trying to drive out insurgents who have reportedly taken control of several villages in the Arghandab distrtict.
Hundreds of soldiers have been flown in to Kandahar to support the operation.
The Taliban says it has a strong enough foothold to launch an attack on the city itself.
But NATO's spokesman in Afghanistan, Mark Laity, says the Taliban has less control over the area than they make out.
Despite the presence of about 70,000 international troops mainly operating under NATO, an insurgency aimed at toppling the US-backed government in Kabul has gained pace in the past two years.
The Taliban were toppled from government in late 2001 by a US-led invasion when the hardline regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.
The suicide attack on Kandahar jail on Friday night came as a major blow to US-backed President Hamid Karzai, who is under pressure from international donors to improve security.
President Karzai responded by saying that Afghan forces would be justified in launching attacks on militants allegedly based in neighbouring Pakistan, but his spokesman said on Tuesday that he had no intention of starting a war.
