US-Afghan units 'kill 33 Taleban'

The US military command in Afghanistan says Afghan and international troops have killed 33 militants in separate clashes in Helmand and Logar provinces.

Troops patrolling in Helmand's Gereshk district had come under heavy gunfire, and returned fire with air support, killing 30 militants.

In Logar, three militants died when Afghan and US troops attacked a camp.

In a separate incident, nine policemen and a district chief were killed in fighting in northern Jowzjan province.

MP killed

Helmand is one of the provinces worst hit by the Taleban insurgency.

Afghan troops have been involved in 'heavy fighting'

"After positively identifying the enemy fighting position and assuring there were no non-combatants in the area, the combined element returned fire... killing 30 militants," the US statement said.

Small arms fire and close air support were used to target the militants, it added.

The statement said that no civilians were harmed.

On Thursday, a prominent Afghan anti-Taleban MP was killed in a bomb attack in Helmand. Dad Mohammad Khan and four other people were killed by a roadside bomb.

Police say that the nine policemen and district chief killed in Jowzjan were involved in heavy fighting with the Taleban.

The province is on the border with Turkmenistan.

In Logar, US and Afghan troops attacked a compound suspected to hold a militant cell involved in making bombs to attack Kabul.

The US is currently finalising a new strategy for Afghanistan.

The New York Times on Thursday reported the new administration was planning to more than double Afghanistan's national security forces to about 400,000.

Reuters news agency quoted a US official as saying another part of the new strategy would be a "civilian surge" in which hundreds of US civilian officials would be deployed nationwide to try to counter the effects of the insurgency.