Seven Afghan soldiers killed in attacks

A roadside bomb killed seven Afghan soldiers near the border with Pakistan today, the latest in a spate of attacks on Afghan …

A roadside bomb killed seven Afghan soldiers near the border with Pakistan today, the latest in a spate of attacks on Afghan security forces.

The soldiers were travelling on a dirt road in the Waza Khaw district of southeastern Paktika province when the bomb blew up their vehicle, provincial governor Akram Khpelwak told reporters.

That attack came a day after Afghan and international forces clashed with Taliban insurgents in two separate gun battles in the south and west, leaving 13 suspected militants dead and four other people wounded.

Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces launched an overnight operation late Monday in Bakwa district in western Farah province, killing two suspected militants and wounding two, said a spokesman for provincial police chief, Baryalai Khan. Two police were wounded, and eight suspected militants arrested.