KABUL: Fifteen insurgents were killed and 13 others captured during a joint operation by Afghan and NATO forces in the southern Kandahar province, an Afghan official said Monday. The operation targeted suspected insurgent strongholds in Arghistan and Maruf districts, according to provincial spokesman Zelmai Ayubi. The operation began at 4 A.M. Sunday and continued until 6 P.M. that night, he said. NATO and Afghan forces have been trying to seize control of the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan since July.
