Afghan forces kill 7 Taliban fighters, wound 30

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces clashed with Taliban militants in Muqar district of southern Ghazni province killing seven militants and wounding 30 others on Monday, police said.

"A convoy of Afghan army and police came under fire of Taliban insurgents on its way to Kandahar province this morning and troops returned fire. The gun battle lasted some two hours with seven rebels dead and 30 others wounded," police chief of Muqar district Barakullah Khan told Xinhua.

However, he insisted that there were no casualties on the troops.

Kandahar, the birthplace of Taliban and neighboring Ghazni, is seen as the hotbed of Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan.

Both Afghan and NATO-led troops have been preparing for massive offensive expected to be launched in June in Kandahar to dislodge the insurgents and ensure full government control there.

Taliban militants on Saturday night fired five rockets on a NATO airfield in Kandahar wounding several military personnel and local civilian workers.

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