U.S. military kills 22 militants in Afghanistan

In this picture released exclusively to Reuters on January 17, 2009, Taliban militants are seen with their weapons in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan January 16, 2009.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition forces killed 22 militants, including two Taliban commanders, during a series of operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

The raids, which involved air support, took place Monday in southern and eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

One operation targeted a Taliban network in Kapisa province, to the northeast of Kabul. Troops killed 18 insurgents and a commander, who was involved in a series of attacks against Afghan and foreign forces, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Coalition troops detained eight suspected militants during the operation, it said.

In two separate raids, one Taliban commander was killed in southern Kandahar province and two more insurgents were killed in neighboring Zabul province, the U.S. military said.

The military did not say whether there were any casualties among the foreign troops. The Taliban said the Islamist group suffered no losses in the operation in Kapisa, adding 15 nomads including women and children were killed.

Reuters was unable to verify either of the versions.

Removed from power in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban have made a comeback since 2005, escalating their campaign in recent months with several high-profile attacks, including in Kabul.

Separately, a remote-controlled bomb on a bicycle killed two policemen and an Afghan civilian in the southern city of Kandahar Tuesday, a provincial official said.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani