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Afghan forces arrest 15 Taliban fighters
 Afghan security forces backed by U.S. helicopter gunships stormed a Taliban safe house, killing one man and capturing 15 others, in an attempt to curb attacks ahead of this week's presidential election, officials said on Sunday. The overnight raid on Saturday near the town of Spin Boldak came a day after 60 Taliban fighters were arrested as they were crossing into the border from Pakistan. Local Afghan border guard commander Abdul Raziq said that his men stormed the safe house after a strike conducted by U.S. helicopter gunships. One man was killed and nine were injured. While the Afghan candidates, their supporters and security forces were preparing for the Oct. 9 poll, President Hamid Karzai received support from one of his predecessors, Burhanuddin Rabbani, who heads the Jamiat-e-Islami, a major Islamic faction. Karzai, one of the 18 candidates, has rarely campaigned because of security reasons. He has escaped an assassination bid last month in the southeast, blamed on the Taliban, who vowed to disrupt the country's first direct presidential elections. Posted by: Fred 2004-10-03 |
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