American and British warplanes pounded a southern Afghan mountain, killing suspected Taliban rebels, the US military said on Wednesday. A provincial governor said at least six rebels were killed and four wounded. Fighting erupted after militants attacked a joint Afghan-US patrol in Uruzgan provinceâs Dihrawud district late on Monday, US military spokesman Lt Col Jerry OâHara said. An Afghan soldier was wounded before the rebels fled, he said.
The troops then called for air support and warplanes bombed a mountainous area where the militants were believed to be hiding, he said. A military statement said US A-10 aircraft and British GR-7s dropped several bombs on the region, as well as pounding it with rockets and cannon fire. OâHara said the attack âwas successful with a number of enemy killed,â but he said an exact evaluation of the number of casualties was ongoing. Uruzgan Governor Jan Mohammed Khan said investigators had been to the remote area and found the bodies of six suspected rebels. Four others were wounded and were being treated in a local hospital. Uruzgan has been the site of numerous attacks on US-led coalition forces and rebel camps are believed to be hidden in mountains there. |