Taliban Fighters Killed By Coalition Troops in Kandahar Crackdown

Nato and Afghan forces killed 20 Taliban fighters in a major offensive on the outskirts of the southern city of Kandahar, it was announced today.

Two Afghan soldiers also died in the battle, the Afghan defence ministry said.

"A group of enemies of the people was targeted by Nato air force in Ta-been village in Arghandab [district]. Based on information received, 20 local and foreign terrorists were killed," a ministry statement said, according to AFP.

Another statement said two government troops were "martyred" in the operation.

Canadian forces joined more than 700 Afghan soldiers in the operation to tackle the build up of Taliban forces in villages near Kandahar.

The offensive came as it was confirmed that four more British troops were killed in an explosion in the volatile Helmand region.

Yesterday the Taliban smashed into Kandahar's main prison, freeing 400 militants, and deepening the sense of crisis in the country.

Local elders said fighters had flooded into Arghandab, a rural sprawl of farmhouses and vineyards that stretches north-west of Kandahar city. "They have blown up several bridges and are planting mines everywhere," Muhammad Usman, a taxi driver who had evacuated a family, told reporters in Kandahar.

The US-led coalition - which operates under a separate chain of command - disputed the seriousness of the threat, saying it had deployed a patrol to Arghandab and found "no evidence that militants control the area".

A Nato spokesman, Mark Laity, said the alliance had a "very mixed picture" about the size of the buildup. "We assume insurgents are there but we have little evidence of hundreds. You have some displaced people who are panicky, some bad guys who are exaggerating and so it's hard to know what is happening," he said.

Laity said Nato aircraft had dropped leaflets on the area urging residents to stay indoors. "We're emphasizing potential threats," he said.

Taliban have gradually infiltrated the area since last year, but any attempt to establish complete control could exact a high price. A similar move in Panjwayi, west of Kandahar, in late 2006 sparked a punishing Nato offensive that killed hundreds of fighters and forced many more to flee towards the Pakistani border.

The manoeuvre shows that despite the presence of 65,000 foreign soldiers - the greatest number since 2001 - the Taliban can still be effective. A Taliban commander, Mullah Ahmedullah, said escaped prisoners from Friday night's jailbreak were among their ranks.

"We've occupied most of the area and it's a good place for fighting. Now we are waiting for the Nato and Afghan forces," he told the Associated Press.

The jailbreak was a severe embarrassment for President Hamid Karzai and underlined his government's failure to provide security. Kandahar is under the control of his brother, Ahmed Wali, who heads the provincial council.

Karzai deflected criticism on to neighboring Pakistan, warning on Sunday he would send troops to kill Taliban leaders sheltering in the tribal areas and north-west frontier province. Pakistan said it would not tolerate any incursion.