Afghan officials say security forces killed 33 Taleban insurgents in southern Afghanistan after a roadside bomb killed at least seven policemen Monday.
Provincial governor Asadullah Khalid said the offensive was launched late Monday in Kandahar province hours after the bombing that destroyed a police vehicle.
The governor said the operation was carried out by Afghan troops and police backed by NATO-led forces.
Also on Monday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Taleban fighters are using civilians as shields against attacks from government and international troops in Afghanistan.
Zalmay Khalilzad spoke Monday in Rome at a conference on Afghanistan. He said military personnel are doing their best to avoid hitting civilians.
Separately, the Afghan ambassador to the United States told VOA that U.S. and NATO forces must do more to avoid killing civilians as they battle the Taleban.
Said Tayeb Jawad said the problem is that Taleban militants hide among civilians, something he noted is not going to change.
Afghan officials say a U.S. air strike late last week killed 45 civilians in southern Helmand province, a Taleban stronghold. The officials say 62 Taleban fighters who had taken refuge in a village were also killed.
The U.S. military says the civilian death toll was much lower and expressed regret for the casualties.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
