WASHINGTON, June 23: US-led forces have killed 55 militants in Afghanistan during a three-day operation near the Pakistani border, the US military reported on Monday.

Three “key Taliban leaders” were also killed in these battles, the report said.

Meanwhile, the US media reported on Monday that Nato forces in Afghanistan also shelled guerillas in Pakistan in two separate episodes on Sunday.

A statement issued by the coalition forces said the operations began on June 20 when coalition forces were ambushed in the eastern province of Paktika.

The coalition repulsed that attack with small-arms fire, and then pursued the militants over the next two days, backed by air strikes, the military said. Twenty-five militants were wounded and three were captured, it said.

In a separate news report, the Pentagon said that on June 21, coalition forces conducted precision air strikes in Afghanistan’s Khost province, targeting a Taliban commander involved with improvised explosive devices, foreign-fighter operations and weapons smuggling.

The strikes were called when group of several militants were observed moving through a mountainous area in the Spera district. Intelligence reports indicated that a senior militant commander was present within the group, the report said.

On June 20, several militants were killed and three others were detained during a coalition forces operation in the Kapisa province. During a search of several compounds in the Tagab district, armed militants attacked the coalition forces, who responded with small-arms fire, killing the militants. Several AK-47 rifles, vests and ammunition were discovered during the search.

In June 19 operations, Afghan security forces and coalition troops killed several militants in Helmand province’s Nahr Surkh district. The militants were killed after they’d been observed emplacing roadside bombs.

Several militants were killed by Afghan and coalition forces in Shah Wali Kot district in the Kandahar province. The militants had attempted to ambush a joint Afghan-US patrol. The patrol engaged the militants, killing several.

The weekend’s operations follow a sweep by Nato and Afghan forces north of Kandahar that they say cleared the region of Taliban freedom fighters.

Reports in the US media noted that the Taliban, seeking to overthrow the US-installed Karzai government, have stepped up their insurgency in southern and eastern provinces and increasingly targeted the capital, Kabul, with suicide bombings in recent months.

Meanwhile, the US media reported that Nato forces shelled Taliban positions inside Pakistan after they received rocket and artillery fire from alleged militant sanctuaries inside the Pakistani territory.

The firing by Nato forces into Pakistani territory followed an American air strike on a Pakistani border post earlier this month that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistani government denounced the strike, and the American government expressed regret, but it is still not entirely clear what happened.