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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan Forces Launch Sweep for Taliban Fighters |
| 2003-07-16 |
| More than 400 Afghan soldiers and police fanned out across a remote southern district Wednesday, searching house to house for Taliban fighters who killed five policemen this week. Twelve villagers had been picked up on suspicion of helping the Taliban, but none of the gunmen who launched the bloody Monday night raid in Ghorak district had been caught, said provincial military officer Mohammad Salim. Headed back to Pakland, most likely. The chief of police in the sparsely populated district, which is northwest of Kandahar city, was among those killed in the attack. It was the latest in a series of shootings and bombings blamed on the former ruling militia force, ousted from power by a U.S.-led offensive in late 2001. The attacks have raised fears of a resurgent Taliban regrouping in remote southern mountains and deserts but both the government and U.S-led forces hunting the rebels and their al Qaeda allies play down that possibility. But they say the militants are capable of launching hit-and-run strikes and bomb attacks. Doesn’t take much of a organization to do that. |
| Posted by:Steve |