Nine militants killed in Afghanistan

Eight Taliban-linked militants were killed in a joint operation by Afghan and US-led forces in volatile southern Afghanistan, the interior ministry said yesterday.
The rebels were killed on Friday in Helmand province, which sees some of the worst violence of the insurgency waged by Taliban fighters since the hardline movement was ousted from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001.
Most of the districts in Helmand are said to be under the control of the rebels. The province is also Afghanistan's primary opium-growing region.
"In a joint operation by Afghan national police, national army and coalition forces in Helmand... eight of the enemies of peace and stability were killed," the interior ministry said in a statement.
Five other militants were wounded in the battle in Nad Ali district, it added.
Elsewhere in the province, one rebel was killed when a bomb he was planting alongside a road exploded prematurely, the ministry said.
More than 70,000 international troops are deployed in Afghanistan to help Kabul quell insurgent violence, which has claimed thousands of lives and hindered the internationally-backed reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
Meanwhile, three Danish soldiers serving with Nato forces in Afghanistan were killed and one was injured Friday when their vehicle was hit by an explosion in southern Helmand province, the Danish military said.
"Three Danish soldiers... in the Danish battalion were killed and one was injured on Friday afternoon when their armoured vehicle drove over a roadside bomb or mine," the military said in a statement.
The blast occurred near the town of Gereshk. The injured soldier was transported to a field hospital at Camp Bastion for treatment, the military added.
The deaths bring to 21 the number of Danish troops killed in the country since Copenhagen deployed soldiers there as part of Nato's International Security Assistance Force in 2001 -- one of the highest per-capita death tolls among coalition forces.
"It is a sad day for Denmark," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared, saying he was "deeply touched" by the deaths of three soldiers in "the fight to assure the safety and better living conditions of others."
He said in a statement: "My thoughts go out to the families of the victims and their comrades in Afghanistan," paying homage to the Danish soldiers in that country who "are contributing through their efforts to the hope of many people, and who deserve our respect and support."
Denmark currently has some 700 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are stationed in the Helmand province under British command.
Helmand sees some of the worst of the Taliban insurgency and most of its districts are said to be controlled by the rebels, despite the efforts of Nato troops.
Friday's deaths came just two weeks after two other Danish soldiers were killed on December 4 in clashes with enemy forces near Gereshk.
Those deaths came just a day after Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Defence Minister Soeren Gade toured the Gereshk district following a visit to Danish troops in Helmand.