Akhir 12, 1432 / March 17, 2011, SPA -- NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Thursday its troops killed more than 40 insurgents in various operations throughout Afghanistan in the past two days, as dpa reported. Thirty insurgents were killed in an ongoing operation in the Reg- e-Khan Neshin district in the southern province of Helmand in the past two days, ISAF said in a statement. There have been no reports of injuries to civilians in the area or damage to property, it said. The ongoing offensive is focused on "disrupting the insurgent's ability to traffic narcotics and weapons, as well as destroy improvised explosive device making facilities," ISAF said. Separately, coalition forces killed more than 10 suspected insurgents in the Shigal-wa-Sheltan district in eastern Kunar province on Wednesday. "Coalition forces observed an unknown number of suspected insurgents with weapons near a combat outpost and declared an imminent threat," the military alliance said. "After gaining positive identification, coalition forces engaged the enemy positions, killing more than 10 suspected insurgents," it added. On Tuesday, NATO-led forces had killed 11 Taliban fighters in separate operations in the Washeer district of Helmand, a Taliban stronghold in the south and one of the most volatile provinces in Afghanistan.
