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KABUL- Afghan and coalition forces killed up to six militants during an overnight operation in a Taliban stronghold of southern Afghanistan, the US military said Friday.
The operation targeted an insurgent commander, wanted for attacks on coalition troops, in Maywand district around 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Kandahar city late Thursday, it said.
The militants and the unidentified "mid-level operative" hiding in a compound and nearby fields refused to surrender, after which Afghan and coalition forces opened fire killing them, a statement said.
Around 20 men, two women and three children surrendered under orders and were protected upon leaving the targeted buildings. Around 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of opium were confiscated and destroyed on site, it said.
No one was arrested, the military said.
No independent confirmation of the incident was immediately possible.
NATO and US-led coalition troops are fighting alongside Afghan government forces against an increasingly deadly Taliban insurgency that has undermined a post-Taliban reconstruction drive and institution-building in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, which was in government from 1996 until the US-led invasion in 2001, is fighting to topple the Western-backed government and regain power. --AFP
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