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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban Infighting Kills 25 Militants In Afghanistan |
| 2010-03-06 |
| A deadly clash between Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters has left scores of militants dead in northern Afghanistan At least 25 militants from both sides have been killed and more than 40 others wounded in a half-day long gun-battle in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan, a local police official said. It is still unclear why the Taliban insurgents turned against their strategic ally group, Hezb-e Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in Baghlan-e Markazi district of the province. Baghlan-e Markazi, a Hezb-e Islami stronghold in northern Afghanistan, is a restive district in the region and a large number of Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters are believed to be stationed there. "The clash between the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters is on-going in Qaisar Khail, a village 9km north of the district centre, " said a spokesman for regional police command, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai. The police official said the Taliban have arrested 15 fighters of Hezb-e Islami during the battle. The local police have not taken any action to curb the clash, but have surrounded the area and will move in after making sure that civilians will not be harmed in the battle, Ahmadzai further said. It's the deadliest clash between Afghanistan's two major insurgent groups for many years and the dispute led to the gun-battle is to be known. Neither the Taliban nor the Hezb-e Islami group have made an immediate comment over the fighting. Hezb-e Islami led by Hekmatyar and the Taliban have a similar standing against the Kabul government and both of the groups have preconditioned the withdrawal of foreign troops to any peace talks. Infighting between militant groups claims over a dozen lives in N. Afghanistan: official KABUL, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Over a dozen people have been killed as infighting erupted between two groups of anti-government militants in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province on Saturday, provincial governor Hajji Akbar Barikzai said. "The clash erupted between Taliban and Hekmatyar-led Islamic party Hizb-e-Islami in Kokchinar area of Baghlan-e-Markazi district early morning and so far some 20 people from both sides have been killed," Barikzai told Xinhua. Neither Taliban nor Hizb-e-Islami outfit has made comment. Meantime, a villager who refused to be named said that at least six people from both sides had been killed and several others sustained injuries. The police chief of Baghlan-e-Markazi district Mohammad Amin Mangal in talks with Xinhua confirmed the clash, adding the infighting is still continuing in the area. He also said that the local administration is monitoring the situation. The reason for the clash, according to Mangal, is rivalry on extending power and collecting taxes from agricultural products in the area. Baghlan-e-Markazi has been the scene of increasing insurgency over the past several months. This is the first time that anti- government militants have been fighting each other in the northern region of the post-Taliban country. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 Hezb-e Islami (Hekmatyar) has said he wants to negotiate w/ Kabul. I'll give odds the "taliban" is Haqqani's boyz (ISI stooges) who where given orders by the Paks to stop this talk of laying down arms. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-03-06 23:25 |
| #1 Encore! |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-06 21:58 |