27 insurgents have been killed in NATO’s operation
Officials say at least 27 insurgents have been killed in NATO’s operation to break the militants’ grip on Afghanistan’s dangerous south.
NATO reported two troop casualties from the first day of the offensive – an American and a Briton.
Helmand provincial spokesman Daoud Ahmadi says seven civilians have been wounded. There are no reports of deaths.
Meanwhile, NATO said in a statement that its forces uncovered 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making material while clearing a compound in Marjah. Some 300 meters (985 feet) of detonation cord wrapped in plastic was also found, along with a weapons cache in northern Nad Ali district.
The United Nations says an estimated 900 families have fled the Marjah area and registered for emergency assistance in Lashkar Gah, about 20 miles away.
