Seven suspected Taliban operatives were killed as they encountered with government troops in the troubled Helmand province in southern Afghanistan on Monday, Interior Ministry spokesman Yusuf Stanikzai said Tuesday.

"Enemies attack on Police checkpoints last night and counterattack by police force left seven enemies including two foreigners dead in Nawzad district," Stanikzai told Xinhua.

Two bodies of the militants were left on the battleground, he added.

Helmand, a safe haven of militants, has been the scene of increasing insurgency over the past one month during which dozens of militants including five British soldiers have lost their lives.

Taliban-linked insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 900 people including some 45 foreign soldiers over the past six months.

Source: Xinhua