Afghan offensive 'kills 23 Taliban'

The Afghan army and Nato forces have launched a major operation against Taliban insurgents.

The defence ministry in Kabul said 20 Taliban guerrillas were killed in a Nato air strike and two Afghan army officers also died in the operation, in southern Afghanistan's Arghandab district. The ministry said three Taliban group leaders were killed further south.

On Monday, some 600 Taliban insurgents took over villages in Arghandab, some 12 miles (20 km) from Kandahar, days after freeing hundreds of inmates in an attack on the main jail in Kandahar city.

The Afghan defence ministry said at least eight villages had been taken by the Taliban who, according to some escapees, had planted land mines to deter attempts to expel them.

On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said militants had set their sights on Kandahar itself.

After massing troops, Afghan army and Nato-led forces have now started an offensive to flush out the Taliban from the villages, while stepping up security in Kandahar city and imposing a night curfew.

Thousands of families fled Arghandab after Nato warned that an operation would be staged.

The defence ministry flew in a battalion from Kabul to join Afghan troops and units from Nato's International Security Assistance Force ahead of the operation, Afghan officials said.

Witnesses said checkpoints have been set up and roads leading to major government installations in Kandahar are blocked. They said a group of Nato soldiers is stationed in the city's sports stadium.

Colonel Jamie Cade, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar, was quoted in a Nato statement as saying there were no obvious signs of insurgent activity in Kandahar city and "it is clear that Kandahar city remains firmly under the control of the Afghan government and its people".

Captain Mike Finney, chief public affairs officer for Isaf in Kabul, said Canadian soldiers were backing the offensive.

He said no air support had been used so far in the operation and troops had yet to sight large numbers of Taliban fighters.

"There have been only small engagements with a small number of insurgents so far," Cpt Finney said.

Capture of the villages is part of the militants' latest show of power in Afghanistan, which is suffering its worst spell of violence since 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.