[Quqnoos] At least, 23 Taliban fighters were killed and 21 others were wounded Monday by Afghan and foreign forces in a firefight in western AfghanistanAn Afghan Commander of Commando forces in Western Afghanistan, Zainuddin Sharifi said that they together with NATO troops launched an offensive targeting the Taliban's strongholds in Bala Murghab, a western Afghan district, which lasted for 12 hours.
"We received some reports about the presence of Taliban in the area planning to attack government locations, and yesterday night we launched a joint operation with the NATO forces which was a success," said Zainuddin Sharifi told Quqnoos.
Three Taliban local commanders, including Mullah Sulaiman have been indentified among the 23 corpses left in the battle site, he said.
Nearly, seven Taliban insurgents have been arrested in the firefight, he added.
No comment has been made about the Afghan forces casualties, but a provincial official who asked for anonymity said that four Afghan soldiers have also been killed in the firefight.