KABUL -- The U.S. military says Afghan and international forces have killed 32 militants in two clashes in southern Afghanistan. The military statement says a convoy of Afghan police and forces with the U.S.-led coalition came under fire during a patrol in Uruzgan province Wednesday. The troops fired back and called in air support, killing 23 insurgents. Separately, the military says Afghan and coalition troops were attacked during a search operation in neighboring Helmand province. Nine militants were killed in the ensuing fighting. The statement says no casualties were reported among Afghan and coalition forces, or civilians. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. KABUL (AP) _ Thousands of police patrolled Afghanistan's capital Tuesday, a national holiday meant to celebrate the victory of guerrilla fighters over the Soviet-backed Communist regime that controlled the country until 1992. Afghan officials canceled all public events this year, following a high-profile Taliban attack on last year's parade, which was attended by President Hamid Karzai. That attack killed three people, including a lawmaker only 30 yards (meters) from Karzai. Hundreds of people, including army and police, fled in chaos as shots rang out. The president was hustled away, surrounded by bodyguards. Officials flirted with the idea of holding a public celebration this year, but ultimately canceled any public observance, while Karzai said money intended for the parade would instead be given to victims of a recent earthquake and flood. Instead, police in body armor and wielding heavy weapons have been stationed around the capital to deter a repeat attack. "We have our tightest security up. Police are carrying out extensive searches at the four gates of Kabul," said Mustafa Wardak, a spokesman for Kabul's police chief. Sitting under an oversized poster congratulating the country on Tuesday's 17th anniversary, military police officer Baz Mohammad said he and 30 other officers had been patrolling the area around last year's event. "It should be a celebration, but instead I'm very sad," he said. "For eight days I've been wearing this heavy bulletproof vest and carrying my AK-47, all for today. But the celebration has been canceled. Here is my Kalishnikov and there is my Humvee. I go to Helmand to fight the insurgents, but we can't make Kabul secure enough for a festival?" A little way down the road, police officer Yar Mohammad stopped all vehicles and asked drivers to show identification. He said he was happy Karzai had dedicated the parade money to victims of an earthquke that shook eastern Afghanistan earlier this month, killing 21 people and damaging dozens of homes. The presidential palace said a lunch with Afghan and international leaders was held in honor of the day. The short statement said the annual parade had been canceled so the money could be given to earthquake victims in Nangarhar province and flood victims in Badakhshan. Kabul did see some violence Tuesday. Militants fired rockets at a NATO military base early Tuesday, wounding two French soldiers, Wardak said, but no other incidents had been reported. He said 7,300 police were deployed around the city, as were soldiers, intelligence units and members of the NATO coalition. In violence just south of the capital, the Interior Ministry said 12 "terrorists" and a police official were killed during a clash in Kabul province on Monday. In the east, a roadside bomb on Monday killed four police. Militant violence has spiked across Afghanistan the last three years, as the Taliban gained strength as an insurgency after their radical Islamist regime was toppled by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 additional U.S. troops to the country to bolster the record 38,000 American forces already in the country.
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