Three soldiers, 16 Taliban killed in Afghan violence

Three soldiers, 16 Taliban killed in Afghan violence Kabul  - A NATO soldier was killed in Taliban attack in southern Afghanistan, while two Afghan soldiers and 16 insurgents were killed in a separate blast and firefight in eastern region, officials said Sunday.

The NATO soldier died of wounds he sustained during a "hostile incident with insurgents," in the southern region on Saturday, the alliance military said in a statement.

The alliance did not however reveal the nationality of soldier. Most of the forces battling Taliban rebels in the region are from the United States, Canada, Britain and the Netherlands.

Separately, the two Afghan soldiers were blown up in their vehicle as they were travelling in Barmel district of south-eastern Paktika province on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Three other soldiers were wounded in the blast and were immediately evacuated to an army hospital, where their condition was reported to be stable, it said.

Meanwhile, Taliban militants fired several rockets at an Afghan army base in Barg-e-Matal district of eastern Nuristan province on Saturday, causing no casualties among the troops, a separate army statement said.

The soldiers with support from the international forces pounded the insurgents' positions with heavy artillery fire, killing 16 of them and wounding several others, it said.

Barg-e-Matal district has been a scene for heavy clashes between the Afghan government forces and Taliban after hundreds of militants shortly overran the district earlier this month. Afghan and NATO forces recaptured the district, forcing the militants to abandon the city and station around the mountainous district.

With less than a month to the country's presidential elections in August 20, fighters with the Islamist extremist Taliban have increased their attacks in eastern region.

Afghan security forces killed seven Taliban fighters after the militants, wearing suicide vests and carrying automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, attacked several government buildings in eastern Khost city on Saturday. Three Afghan police and 14 civilians were wounded in the attacks.

Thousands of US, Canadian and British soldiers have been taking part in major anti-Taliban assaults in southern region, where the rebels are most active.

A total of 123 international troops, most of them US forces, have been killed in the conflict in Afghanistan so far this year, ICasaulties. com, an independent website that tracks military fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq, said on its website. The latest death was not included. (dpa)