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30 Taliban dead as district captured
 Taliban rebels overran a western Afghan district, sparking a fierce battle on Tuesday that left six civilians, four policemen and 30 militants dead, officials said. A soldier with the US-led coalition, an Afghan spy chief and 20 militants were killed in other incidents, reported AFP.Taliban militants captured the Gulistan district during overnight fighting in western Afghanistan, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Located in western Farah province, the district was stormed by more than 400 militants armed with small and heavy weapons on Monday night, police said. The fighting continued for around an hour after which police retreated from the headquarters of the district, said Farah police chief Brigadier General Abdul Rahman Sarjang. Thirty Taliban, six local people who were helping them and four policemen were killed in the fighting, AFP added. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi told Daily Times that only two Taliban were killed and three were injured in the battle. US soldier, militants dead: Separately, a soldier of the US-led coalition troops was killed in a clash with militants in the southern province of Kandahar, on Tuesday morning. Another coalition soldier was injured in the combat. Also in Kandahar, coalition troops and Afghan police arrested six people on suspicion of links with the Taliban, said a separate statement. Meanwhile, provincial police chief Sayed Aqa Sahib said NATO, US-led coalition forces and Afghan troopers had launched a clean-up operation in Kandahar, which resulted in the deaths of 20 militants. Spy Chief: In another incident of violence, a district intelligence chief, his driver and two bodyguards were killed when their vehicle was blown up with a powerful remote-controlled bomb in the eastern province of Laghman on Tuesday morning. The incident happened in the Qarghayee district while the intelligence chief was on way to his office, crime branch chief at the Laghman police headquarters told Daily Times by phone. Claiming responsibility for the blast, Taliban spokesman Ahmadi said six security personnel were killed in the attack. Posted by: Fred 2007-10-31 |
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