COALITION FORCES KILLED 45 INSURGENTS AT TWO CAMPS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN AS THEY PRESSED FORWARD WITH A MAJOR ANTI-TALIBAN OFFENSIVE, MILITARY OFFICIALS SAID SATURDAY. ON FRIDAY, AFGHAN AND COALITION FORCES SURROUNDED A «KNOWN ENEMY CAMP» IN KHOD VALLEY, SHAHEED HASAS DISTRICT OF URUZGAN PROVINCE, KILLING AN ESTIMATED 40 FIGHTERS, THE MILITARY SAID IN A STATEMENT. «COALITION FORCES TRACKED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS MEETING UNTIL THERE WERE MORE THAN 50 EXTREMISTS GATHERED BEFORE ATTACKING THE COMPOUND,» SAID MILITARY SPOKESMAN LT. COL. PAUL FITZPATRICK. «THE COMPOUND WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED, AND WE ANTICIPATE MOST OF THOSE PRESENT WERE KILLED.» «COALITION FORCES HAVE DELIVERED A QUICK AND SEVERE BLOW TO THE ENEMY TODAY,» FITZPATRICK WAS QUOTED AS SAYING BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. IN A SEPARATE INCIDENT, AFGHAN AND COALITION FORCES CONDUCTED A RAID ON A TALIBAN COMPOUND NEAR TARIN KOWT, THE CAPITAL OF URUZGAN, KILLING FIVE INSURGENTS, THE MILITARY SAID. THEY ALSO SEIZED ABOUT EIGHT POUNDS OF OPIUM. ONE U.S. SOLDIER WAS WOUNDED IN THE RAID. HE WAS LATER LISTED IN STABLE CONDITION. MEANWHILE, TWO COALITION SOLDIERS WERE KILLED FRIDAY BY A ROADSIDE BOMB IN ASADABAD DISTRICT IN EASTERN KUNAR PROVINCE AS THEY CONDUCTED A SECURITY SWEEP OF THE AREA, THE MILITARY SAID. THE SOLDIERS' NATIONALITIES WERE NOT RELEASED.
