KABUL, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces backed by air power support of foreign troops have killed 30 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province, a local official said Tuesday.

    Some 200 Taliban fighters raided police checkpoints in Tanai district Monday night and police responded, killing 30 rebels in a three-hour clash, Badiul Zaman, Tanai's district chief, told Xinhua.

    He said international troops had provided air support to Afghan police in the battle.

    This killing came as Afghan security forces backed by foreign troops had killed over 60 militants on June 14-15.

    The past three weeks saw intensified militants' attacks and military operations by Afghan and foreign troops across the war-battered nation where last year insurgency-related violence and conflicts left some 8,000 people mostly rebels dead.