Ten Taliban fighters were killed on Thursday in fighting in southern Afghanistan as they tried to retreat after four days of clashes with government forces. About 60 Taliban fighters managed to slip out of the Ata Ghar mountains in Zabul province and moved into neighbouring Kandahar province where government forces confronted them, said Khalid Pashtun, a spokesman for Kandaharâs governor. Pashtun said 10 Taliban were killed and 16 wounded in the fighting. âFortunately, so far we have lost no one,â Pashtun told reporters. He had no further details of the fighting in Marouf district, which is near the border with Pakistan.
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Southern Afghanistan is one of the most volatile parts of the country and some provincial officials said Taliban remnants are regrouping along the border with Pakistan. Mullah Abdul Rauf, a provincial governor during Taliban rule, told reporters on Wednesday that Hafiz Abdur Rahim, one of the most wanted senior commanders from the ousted regime, was leading more than 200 Taliban fighters at Ata Ghar. Rahim has been a constant thorn in the side of Afghan government forces and their US allies since giving the Americans the slip in the mountains in southern Afghanistan in January. A US military spokesman said US forces were not involved in the fighting.
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