Insurgents killed in Taliban raid

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 19 (UPI) -- As many as 20 suspected Taliban members were killed by U.S. military in southern Afghanistan after an American patrol came under attack by militants.

Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, a spokesman at Bagram Air Base, told The New York Times U.S. and Afghan reinforcements were sent to scour the area for more Taliban after the fighting early Sunday.

The resurgence of Taliban activity in southern Afghanistan has resulted in the deaths of 15 U.S. servicemen this year. Eight of those deaths have occurred in the last six weeks.

Afghan and U.S. military authorities told the newspaper the renewed violence is part of a Taliban effort to disrupt parliamentary elections in September.

The American patrol called in air support after it was pinned down by militants in a mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of the town of Gereshk, in Helmand province. A military statement said initial assessments indicate that 15 to 20 militants died.