12 Taliban killed along Afghan-Pak border

Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed over 12 Taliban militants along the Afghan-Pakistan border, a coalition statement said on Sunday.

Some militants attacked an observation post for one of the military bases in the eastern Paktika province on Saturday, the statement said.

After the Pakistani military gave permission to fire on the targets in Pakistan, the forces' counter fire batteries destroyed six confirmed insurgent firing sites, three on each side of the Afghan-Pak border, it added.

Observation posts in that area are attacked by insurgents on a regular basis due to their close proximity to the border and placement along a volatile region of the Afghan-Pakistan border, the statement said.

"This incident demonstrates Pakistan is making significant contributions to the war on terror by denying safe haven to Al-Qaeda and Taliban extremist fighters who try to hide in their country," said coalition spokesman Vanessa R Bowman.

Afghanistan has been accusing Pakistan of not doing enough to fight terrorists on it soil, a claim flatly rejected by Pakistani authorities.

First Published: Aug 26, 2007 16:25 IST