The US-led Coalition forces killed 19 armed militants and detained three suspected militants during multiple operations to disrupt the Haqqani, Taliban and al-Qaeda networks in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, said a Coalition statement released in Kabul on Saturday.

In Dara Noor district of Kunar province, Coalition forces targeted a known al-Qaeda leader, believed to facilitate the movement of foreign fighters and weapons into that area, the statement said.

"The US-led forces were engaged by two armed militants while searching the targeted compound," it said, "and the forces responded with small-arms fire, killing both of them."

Five more militants including one armed female were killed during a searching in another building of the same compound and one suspected militant was detained during the operation, it added.

In a separate operation in Nadir Shah kot district of Khost province, Coalition force engaged with multiple of militants while targeting a militant known to have ties to both the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist networks and to coordinate and direct IED ( Improvised Explosive Device) attacks in the region, the statement said.

Coalition forces eliminated two militants during the engagement and also discovered explosives in the vehicle the militants hid, it said.

Moreover, Coalition forces killed ten armed militants and detained two suspected during another operation directed at a known Haqqani IED and suicide bomber facilitator also in Nadir Shah Kot district, according to the statement.

A number of AK-47s, RPG, five RPG rounds, a pistol and other military style equipment were also found on the spot, it said.

"As the Coalition forces received heavy fire from militants inside the building, precision, close-air support have been used to neutralize the threat and protecting the forces," it added.

However, it did not mention any casualties of Coalition forces or civilians.

Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have claimed around 5,000 people, mostly militants so far this year in Afghanistan while Taliban insurgents have vowed to intensify assaults against interests of the Afghan government and international troops before the coming winter.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)