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20 are now dead in Afghan festivities
Guess they finally got around to counting all the bodies from yesterday ...At least 20 people were killed and 40 wounded in several clashes in the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan, official sources reported overnight. Hundreds of civilians have been forced to flee their homes after fighting erupted between two government commanders in several areas of Argo district on Thursday. "Twenty people have been killed and forty injured in Argo district in continuation of the clashes," the government-owned Anis daily reported in Kabul. Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press said fighting had not stopped until Sunday morning over a dispute between the two commanders about who would receive a tax on poppy crop, which has been cultivated in different areas of the district. About 100 security forces have been sent from Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan, to stop the fighting, authorities said, adding locals wanted the central government to step in because they do not trust provincial officials. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-02-09 |
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