A commander of Dutch troops in southern Afghanistan says forces from the Netherlands have killed dozens of suspected Taleban fighters in recent months.
In an interview published Saturday in the Netherlands' daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad, Colonel Henk Morsink said troops in troubled Uruzgan province recently have been involved in six clashes with insurgents. He also said a senior Taleban leader is believed to be among those killed.
Morsink stressed that his figures are based on estimates that cannot always be verified.
More Dutch troops, along with additional forces from Britain and Canada, will soon be deployed in Afghanistan's volatile south, as NATO members increase troop levels in the country from 9,000 to 16,000.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.