A second NATO soldier was killed on Sunday as Afghan and international troops advanced on the southern town of Musa Qala, which the Taliban has controlled for the last 10 months, defence forces said. Some of the thousands of soldiers involved in the operation launched on Friday had come within two kilometres of the town, progressing through the night and closing in from the north, the Afghan defence force said.An International Security Assistance Force soldier taking part in the campaign to take back the town was killed and another injured when their vehicle hit a mine in the area, ISAF said. The 38-nation alliance force did not give the nationality of the soldiers but a spokesman, Brigadier General Carlos Branco, said they were not British.
The force said on Sunday its soldiers were moving cautiously because of the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the militants. The Afghan Defence Ministry said on Saturday a dozen Taliban and two civilians had also been killed.
The Taliban overran Musa Qala in early February, breaking a controversial deal, which led British forces to pull out on the request of elders, who said they would handle security after months of intense fighting.
Talks: British Defence Secretary Des Browne was in Kabul Sunday for talks with his Afghan counterpart, Abdul Rahman Wardak, about the push for Musa Qala, the Afghan ministry said. “The Helmand security situation and Musa Qala operation were on top of their discussions,” it said in a statement that quoted Browne as saying the Afghan army’s lead role in the operation was a sign of their capability. ISAF and its partner in a separate US-led coalition are helping build up the Afghan security forces.
British military spokesman in Helmand Lieutenant Colonel Richard Eaton said the operation would continue until the “door to Musa Qala is kicked in. And once the door is kicked in, the Afghan army will enter.”
The Afghan Defence Ministry meanwhile warned the rebels to lay down their arms “or face waves of attacks”. Two Taliban commanders in the area had been captured, it said. Another rebel commander, Abdul Satar, said the movement’s leaders had
Clashes also erupted early on Sunday outside the town, a resident who gave his name as Mahmood told AFP by telephone. “The Taliban resisted and there is no fighting at this time,” he said. In other fighting between the two sides, 10 Taliban were killed on Saturday in the Panjwayi area of Kandahar province, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Sunday.