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NATO troops kill 20 rebels in southern Afghanistan
The NATO-led troops were on patrol around Panjwayi district of restive Kandahar province as they encountered insurgents.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed 20 insurgents in volatile southern Afghanistan on the seventh day of "Operation Medusa", a statement said on Saturday.
The NATO-led troops were on patrol around Panjwayi district of restive Kandahar province as they encountered insurgents on Friday.
"Day Seven of Operation Medusa saw over 20 insurgents killed in and around Panjwayi district, through aggressive ISAF patrolling," read a military press release.
The statement said that the troop engaged the enemy in direct exchange of fire and also employed "indirect fire" using artillery.
Lieutenant-General David Richards, commander of the ISAF, hailed the continued progress of Operation Medusa.
It is designed to defeat the insurgents in Panjwayi district so that displaced residents can return to their homes.
Panjwayi has been hard hit by a wave of violence by remnants of the Taliban. The killing of 20 insurgents on Friday brings the total of over 300 since the beginning of the operation a week ago.
The Afghan capital Kabul also saw a suicide car bomb attack on Friday, which struck a US military convoy, killing two US soliders and 14 Afghan civilians.
