KABUL: US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan used gunship helicopters and fighter jets to kill 33 Taliban militants near the Pakistani border after spotting them from the air, the force said Tuesday.
The rebels, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons, were spotted by a coalition reconnaissance aircraft late Monday in the eastern province of Khost, coalition spokesman Lieuetnant Nathan Perry told AFP.
"After positively identifying the militants, coalition forces engaged with them using attack helicopters and close air support bombers, killing approximately 33 militants," Perry said.
The figures could not be independently verified.
The incident occurred about eight kilometers (five miles) inside Afghanistan from the Pakistan frontier, the spokesman said. The coalition said it was separate from a joint attack involving troops from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and soldiers from Pakistan in Khost on Monday that also left several militants dead.
Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan and foreign military forces in recent months, with June being the deadliest month yet for the foreign military deployment here.
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