Three Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban rocket attack

Nov 15, 2009, 13:00 GMT

Kabul - Three Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban artillery attack on their base in eastern Afghanistan, whilst six militants were killed by Afghan and NATO forces, officials said Sunday.

Two soldiers were injured in the attack that took place in the Qazi Abad district of the eastern province of Kunar, close to the border with Pakistan, the Afghan defence ministry said in a statement.

With public support for the presence of international forces waning in Western countries, the United States and other NATO countries have heavily focused their efforts on training the Afghan forces.

Compared to Afghan police forces, the country's army, which has around 90,000 soldiers, is better trained and equipped.

In a sign of commitment to strengthen Afghan security forces and equip them with modern military fleet, the US donated two C-27 military support aircraft to Afghan defence ministry on Sunday.

At a ceremony attended by the top NATO commander, US General Stanley McChrystal and Afghan Defence Minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, the two planes were delivered to Afghan army forces in Kabul.

Afghanistan will have 20 transport aircraft and 30 trained crew members by mid 2011, officials at the gathering said.

Meanwhile, Afghan and NATO forces killed six Taliban militants, including one of their commanders, in eastern province of Nuristan on Saturday night, Mohammad Qasim Paiman, the provincial police chief said.

The militants were killed after they attacked a joint Afghan and international military outpost in Nuristan's Noorgram district.

Several other militants were also killed in a joint Afghan and NATO force operation in Sarobi district of south-eastern province of Paktika on early Sunday morning, the alliance said in a statement.

Based on intelligence information about the presence of militants in the area, the combined forces targeted a building, the statement said, adding that during the operation the joint forces came under attack and returned fire, killing the militants inside and outside the building.