KABUL—Afghan and NATO forces have killed 15 insurgents in clashes in the violence-plagued south, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
The violence came days after the United States and its NATO partners reaffirmed long-term commitment to Afghanistan.
The United States has urged allies to redouble efforts in the face of rising Afghan violence and is sending an extra 3,500 extra Marines. France has promised another 700 troops for NATO's 47,000-strong Afghan force.
The insurgents were killed in two clashes on Saturday, about 40 km (25 miles) west of Kandahar city, the ministry said, in an area where NATO and Afghan forces have repeatedly battled the Taliban in recent years.
The Taliban, ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001, have vowed to step up their violent campaign to expel foreign forces and bring down the Western-backed government.
Violence surged last year with more than 6,000 people killed, almost a third of them civilians.
Feeds