Militants killed in Afghan raid

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Security forces raided a southern Afghan village and killed 15 suspected militants, including a relative of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, while fighting and attacks elsewhere left 25 people dead, an army general said Monday.

The violence extends three weeks of the fiercest battles since the Taliban’s fall in 2001, and U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann said the insurgents are proving to be better-organized and greater in numbers than expected.

Neumann predicted there will be no letup in the offensive against the Taliban when thousands of British, Canadian and Dutch troops take over for U.S. troops by next month.

“I think you will now see a very strong press-back,” he told reporters in Kabul. “I think a lot of unfortunate people who believe the Taliban and fight with them are going to die.”