Fighting In Eastern Afghanistan Kills 28 Rebels

The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment about any of the reports.

NATO-led forces killed 22 militants in ground and air assaults in Afghanistan's eastern province of Khost overnight, the alliance said on Thursday.

A NATO-led patrol was attacked by Taliban insurgents and foreign forces retaliated with close-air and ground support, killing 22 militants in Babrak Tana district, which is close to the Pakistani border, the alliance said.

Earlier a statement from the Ministry of Defense said Afghan troops killed eight insurgents and wounded two more in a fierce battle in the same district of Khost province overnight.

More than 5,000 people and nearly 300 foreign troops were killed last year in Afghanistan, UN and aid agencies have said, making it the worst year of violence since the U.S.-led invasion of 2001.

Military experts say fighting in Afghanistan will increase in 2009 with the arrival of 30,000 extra U.S. troops, which newly sworn-in President Barack Obama is expected to approve.

Meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition troops killed six militants and detained one more during an operation targeting a roadside bomb network in the Dai Chopan district in the southern Zabul province on Wednesday, a U.S. military statement said.

The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment about any of the reports.