KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, December 02, SPA -- Afghan and foreign troops battled with Taliban militants and called in air strikes in a series of clashes in the country's south that left 40 insurgents dead, an official said Sunday. The joint force clashed with militants in the mountainousShah Wail Kit district in KANDAHAR province during athree-day operation that ended Saturday and left 35insurgents dead, said provincial police chief Spayed AbhaSahib. Ten other insurgents were detained near the militants'mountainous hide-outs, which they used to launch attacksagainst Afghan and foreign troops in the area, Sahib said. Authorities recovered the militants' bodies along withtheir automatic weapons and ammunition, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. In KANDAHAR Shari district, Afghan and foreign troopsclashed with another group of militants hiding in acompound Saturday night, killing five militants anddetaining four others, Sahib said. Among those killed was a regional militant commander,Mullah Fibula, he said. There were no casualties among Afghan or foreign troopsduring the operations, Sahib said. The reports could not be independently verified becausethe areas are remote and inaccessible. This year has been the most violent since the U.S.-ledinvasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Insurgency-relatedviolence has claimed nearly 6,200 lives, according to atally of figures from Afghan and Western officials.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/505209