US regards eliminating training camps as crucial to defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan

The raid on Thursday targeted a suspected training camp for fighters in Paktika, a province located in eastern Afghanistan, the forces said.

The troops were hunting for Sangeen, a Taliban commander, but it was unclear if he was among those killed in the assault.

US officials said in a statement that Sangeen plans and co-ordinates the movement of senior leaders in al-Qaeda and that of hundreds of foreign fighters from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Among the dead were 22 Arabs and Pakistanis as well as six people who blew up their suicide vests during the battle, the statement said.

The raid on the compound located on Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan serves as a reminder that the region could still exist as a breeding ground for Taliban fighters trying to wage war in both countries.

Barack Obama, the US president, has said the elimination of training camps is crucial in defeating al-Qaeda and winning the war in Afghanistan.

Fighters use these camps for operations which US military officials say they launch attacks on international forces.

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