13 Afghan troops killed in ambush

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban insurgents killed 13 Afghan troops in an ambush of their convoy in northwestern Afghanistan, while NATO-led troops fired on insurgents inside Pakistan, officials said yesterday.

More than 300 militants attacked the Afghan forces' convoy, which was transporting 47 vehicles for their units in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province late Thursday, said Naeem Khan, a border police official.

In a several-hour battle, 13 Afghan soldiers and policemen were killed and 11 others were wounded, said Abdul Ghani Sabri, the deputy provincial governor. Seven Taliban fighters were also killed, Sabri said.

Sixteen other Afghan troops were captured by the militants, who also took most of the 47 vehicles being transported in the convoy, Khan said.

After the clash, helicopters were dispatched to the area and fired at the militants, Khan said.

Insurgent attacks in Afghanistan are up 40 percent from 2007, military officials say. A tally of official figures show that more than 5,400 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year. Most of the casualties are suspected militants.

The UN warned Thursday that the Taliban could receive $500 million from Afghanistan's opium trade this year - money that will help finance insurgent attacks.

The potential profits are dramatically higher than the $100 million the Taliban is believed to have received last year from the multibillion-dollar trade.

In eastern Afghanistan, NATO-led troops fired more than 20 artillery rounds inside Pakistan, from where insurgents were attacking their bases in Paktika province on Thursday, the military alliance said.

The artillery attacks killed several insurgents and caused several secondary explosions, indicating the presence of ammunition at the locations, it said in a statement.

ASSOCIATED PRESS