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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Taliban kill 5 in Afghan raid |
| 2004-07-13 |
| Taleban guerrillas, who have vowed to disrupt Afghanistan's October 9 election, launched several raids across the south and east and five people were killed, including a police commander, officials said on Tuesday. In the most serious of the latest incidents, Taleban fighters attacked a district government headquarters in Kandahar province on Monday night, killing the chief of police. "Taleban torched the district's headquarters," said an official based in Kabul who declined to be identified. A Taleban commander confirmed his men had carried out the attack. Mullah Rahim Akhund">Mullah Rahim Akhund told Reuters four government men were killed and five wounded. He said there were no casualties among his 50 fighters. In another incident, two government soldiers were killed and two wounded in an ambush in Ghazni province, southwest of the capital, Kabul. Governor Haji Assadullah said two Taleban fighters were wounded and captured. In two other incidents -- one in Helmand province, near Kandahar, and the other in Nangarhar in the east -- officials said two Taleban fighters carrying explosives had been killed. A government army commander in Khost province said he narrowly escaped a roadside bomb, also on Monday night. The commander, Kheyal Baaz Khan Sherzai, said 19 suspected Taleban had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the blast. A bomb on a busy street in the western city of Herat killed five people and wounded 34 at the weekend, raising concern the Taleban were extending their campaign. Police said on Tuesday they had detained three suspects but were not sure they were Taleban. Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks this year, including several election workers and a group of 16 people carrying voter cards. Afghanistan will hold a landmark presidential election on October 9. Parliamentary elections have been put off until April, partly because of security worries. The polls are seen as a crucial test for US nation-building efforts. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |