Afghan National Security Forces ( ANSF) backed by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have killed 19 insurgents in an ongoing offensive against insurgents in northern Afghan province of Wardak, said an ISAF statement issued in Kabul on Saturday.

The joint troops engaged insurgents by small-arms fire, heavy weapons and helicopters in Jalrez district where the fighting continued through the night on October 16, resulting in 19 militants killed, the statement said.

Caches comprised of various munitions also found in that area, it said.

Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have left more than 4,500 people, mostly militants, so far this year in Afghanistan while Taliban insurgents recently vowed to intensified assaults against interests of Afghan government and international troops before the coming winter.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2008)