Twelve suspected Taliban rebels were killed and two American soldiers wounded in a battle triggered by a botched attack on an Afghan army commander, officials said Tuesday. Militants fired two rockets at Gen. Khial Baz's car as he traveled over a mountain pass toward Gardez, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Kabul, early Monday, said police chief Gul Suleyman Khel. Both rockets missed and the general was unhurt. U.S. helicopters responded by firing rockets at the suspected rebels from the sky, he said, as dozens of Afghan soldiers and police ferried to the area engaged the group with small arms. "Twelve of the enemy were killed," during six hours of fighting, Khel said. U.S. military spokeswoman Lt. Cindy Moore said U.S. ground forces were also involved in the fighting and that two American soldiers were injured.
