KABUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led Coalition forces eliminated four militants and detained eight more suspected militants during operations to disrupt Taliban bomb makers and militants in Kandahar of southern Afghanistan Thursday, said a Coalition statement on Friday.

    The operation targeted a Taliban operator known to have employed roadside bombs in Arghandab district where Coalition forces searched the compound and engaged militants there killing four, the statement said. "Eight men who surrendered were arrested."

    "During the operation, the force found AK-47s, grenades and blasting caps, the latter used to initiate IEDs," it added.

    Over 5,000 people have been killed by conflicts and riots in 2008, while the figure is predicted to go up in 2009.