KABUL, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Afghan troops and the U.S.-led Coalition forces during clashes with the anti-government militants have killed at least 25 militants in the war-torn country, official sources said on Sunday.

    Clash between Afghan troops and Taliban insurgents Saturday night claimed the lives of eight rebels in eastern Afghan province of Ghazni, provincial administration's spokesman Ismael Jihangir told Xinhua.

    "The incident occurred in Abband district when armed Taliban raided a police check point and police returned fire resultantly killing eight rebels and injuring five others," Jihangir said.

    In another violent incident on the same day, a mine planted by Taliban insurgents struck a police van in Andar district of Ghazni province killing two policemen, a purported Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujhaid claimed.

    However, officials expressed ignorance about the claim saying no such incident has been reported in Andar district.

    Moreover, Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and Coalition forces killed 17 insurgents during an air assault operation in Shah Wali Kot district of southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Saturday, a Coalition statement released here said.

    "ANSF and Coalition forces conducted an air assault operation into a known insurgent safe haven to interdict enemy supplies and personnel killing 17 militants," it said.

    "No ANSF, Coalition forces or civilian casualties were reported," it added. "Several small weapons caches were discovered and destroyed on site."

    Meanwhile, Afghan Defense Ministry on Sunday disclosed that a tri-partite operation dubbed 'Qalb-e-Shir' or 'Lion Heart' with the involvement of Afghan troops, NATO-led International Security Assistance (ISAF) and Pakistani army has been launched against insurgents in the border area 10 days ago.

    The objective of this operation, Azimi asserted, was to sandwich the militants on both sides of the Durand Line the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    "On one side of the line are Afghan and ISAF troops while on the other side is Pakistani army. We support the operation carried out by Pakistan army and Pakistani side backs our operation against militants," he noted.

    Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have been facing increasing Taliban-led insurgency since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001.

    Pakistani army has been engaged in a bloody war against militants in the semi-autonomous tribal-belt areas along the Afghan border and according to Pakistani army more than 1,500 insurgents have been killed over the past several months in the Bajaur and adjoining regions.

    Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have claimed over 5,000 people, mostly militants, so far this year in strife-torn Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents have vowed to intensify assaults against interests of Afghan government and international troops before the coming winter.