Afghan forces kill over 60 rebels in eastern Afghanistan

Afghan troops backed by air power by foreign forces killed at least sixty militants near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan in one of the biggest single assaults against Taliban rebels, said officials on Wednesday. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) in a statement on Wednesday claimed that at least sixty rebels were killed along with a number of foreign militants during an attack on Afghan military base in eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan. The officials confirmed that nearly 300 militants along with foreign rebels participated in the attack to capture the Afghan military base. The provincial governor spokesman, Mukhlis Afghan in a statement said that the clashes erupted late Sunday night in Zeruk district after dozens of militants launched attacks on Afghan security forces check posts. He further told that Afghan security forces responded to the attack with the support of coalition forces air strike. The Defense Ministry confirming the incident told that at least five Afghan soldiers were killed, one soldier was abducted and six others were injured during the clashes. The foreign forces have intensified its drive against the rebels just before the departure from Afghanistan this year. Paktika shares a long and porous border with northern tribal areas of Pakistan where outlawed Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are based