KABUL: At least 151 Taleban fighters have been killed by government forces during 12 days of fighting in the volatile east, near the border with Pakistan, the police chief of Kunar province said Tuesday.

Gen. Abdul Habib Sayedkhaili said at least another 100 insurgents were wounded in the fighting in Dangam district.

He said the Pakistani Taleban and Lashkar-i-Taiba — the group responsible for the attacks on Mumbai in 2008 in which more than 160 people were killed — were also taking part in the battle.

“That 17 foreign fighters that were killed during the battle prove that foreigners are supporting local insurgents in the area,” he said.

“As Dangam is so close to the border, it is very easy for them to cross the border into Afghanistan and help the insurgents here. We are very careful with conducting our operations to prevent civilian casualties,” he said.

The presence of foreign fighters in Taleban battles in Afghanistan is not unusual. The Afghan Taleban leadership is believed to be based in the Pakistani city of Quetta, and Kabul has long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the group. Dangam is four km (2.5 miles) from the porous border.

The Taleban denied losing so many fighters but did not provide their own figures.

Sayedkhaili said local people had joined the fight against the insurgents, and that five had been killed and 12 wounded, including both locals and security forces. He said there was no involvement of either Pakistani government forces or international forces that have been based in Afghanistan for the past 13 years. The US and NATO are due to withdraw the last of their combat troops on Dec. 31, leaving behind a residual force of 13,000 to provide training and some battlefield backup.