Twenty-six militants, ISAF soldier killed in Afghanistan (Roundup)

Kabul - NATO and Afghan forces killed 26 Taliban fighters in two separate battles with the militants, while one soldier of the International Security in Afghanistan Forces (ISAF) was killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Friday.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan national security forces fought with Taliban insurgents in Zhari district of southern Kandahar province, killing 20 militants, including a commander called Mullah Naqibullah, the district administrator, Khairuddin Khan, said in a statement.

In another incident, a soldier of the International Security in Afghanistan Forces (ISAF) was killed Friday in fighting in eastern Afghanistan, while three other soldiers were wounded, ISAF said.

In keeping with its practice, ISAF did not specify the nationality of the soldiers. But it is mainly US forces who operate in the eastern part of Afghanistan.

The casualties came two days after Taliban insurgents shot down a helicopter in southern Afghanistan, killing five US soldiers along with one British and one Canadian soldier.

In a separate incident, Afghan police exchanged fire with Taliban militants after they attacked the home of a police official in Zurmat district of Paktia province late Thursday, killing six of the militants, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said in a statement.

Seven Taliban fighters were injured in the incident, while there were no casualties among the police, he said.

Weapons and vehicles belonging to the militants were seized at the scene.

Five rockets hit a residential area in Sirkana district of Kunar province, injuring two women and their five family members.

Several houses were also damaged in the attack, provincial police chief Abdul Jalal said.

Violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan for the past several weeks. The Taliban-led attacks and retaliations have left more than 1,700 people dead, mostly insurgents, so far this year.