|
Kandahar Police Chief Dies in Afghan Fighting
[Quqnoos] At least 4 including the police chief and head of the criminal department of Kandahar were killed Monday in a clash in the city, officials saidA spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Zemaray Bashari in a phone call confirmed the causalities of the gun-fire that erupted after the guards -- employed by US special forces -- opened fire on the police. The fighting happened as troops attempted to take away a prisoner from the provincial attorney's office, Bashari further said. The provincial attorney department sought urgent help from the police department. Police Chief Gen Matiuallah Qateh, was gunned down when he reached the scene to prevent the assailant armed men to remove an alleged criminal. Five other policemen were also wounded in today's fighting in Kandahar city, MoI spokesman added. A local witness said that US troops were also involved in the fighting. The US military spokesman in Kabul, Colonel Greg Julian, confirmed to AFP there had been an incident but he did not immediately provide details. "I am not sure which unit was involved," he said. "It does appear that there were some Afghan police casualties," he said. Quqnoos' Mohammad Masumi in Kandahar said the gun-battle last over an hour in the city and all the security forces have turned on alert in the city. Posted by: Fred 2009-06-30 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=273223 |