Gun battle between Afghan police and militants left 19 rebels dead in the troubled Helmand province of Afghanistan on Sunday, a senior official said.

The battle began at 6:00 AM this morning when government forces launched a two-pronged attack on the enemies near Lashkargah, killing 19 rebels, Mullah Amir Akhundzada, the deputy provincial governor, told Xinhua.

Government troops, he added, began crackdown after locals complained that militants forcibly obtain tax and ransom from villagers in the west of provincial capital Lashkargah.

Two Pakistanis are also among the dead ones, Akhundzada said, adding only two policemen received injuries in the conflict.

Taliban fighters have yet to make any comment.

On Saturday night, another two Taliban fighters were killed and10 others wounded in Garmsir district of Helmand province.

More than 1,100 people, mostly Taliban-linked insurgents, have been killed since January this year in Afghanistan.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)