Taliban toll rises to 31 as Ghazni battle rages

KABUL: At least 31 Taliban militants were killed by Afghan security forces backed by US air strikes in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province, as the Afghan army battled to protect a key highway, officials said on Saturday.

Mohammad Arif Noori, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said the militants were planning to wrest control of an arterial road and had attacked many security check posts.

"With the help of US air forces, the Taliban militants have been pushed back from the areas near Ghazni-Paktika highway, but the road is still closed due to serious damages caused by the Taliban," said Noori.

During clashes on Friday, two civilians were killed and four were injured when a mortar shell hit a home in the Andar district.

Andar is one of the unstable districts of Ghazni province, 95 miles (153 km) southwest of the capital, Kabul.

In a separate incident, two militants were killed when explosives went off on a highway in Ghazni.

The Taliban confirmed the clashes. The group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, however, gave a conflicting casualty figure.