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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Some good news: Six Taliban Militants Killed in Battles | |
| 2004-09-07 | |
| Dozens of Taliban militiamen raided a government office in southern Afghanistan, sparking a battle in which four rebel fighters and an Afghan soldier were killed, hours before campaigning began Tuesday for presidential elections, official said. Elsewhere in the southern province of Zabul, U.S. and Afghan troops battled Taliban, killing two fighters and capturing two others. Supporters of the Taliban have threatened to sabotage Afghanistan's October elections, the first national vote since the hard-line Islamic militia was ousted from power. Interim leader Hamid Karzai, the favorite in the race, and his 17 challengers began campaign Tuesday. Zabul is a rugged region where Taliban holdouts often attack Afghan security forces, foreign aid workers and U.S. troops. In the bloodiest clash, about 60 Taliban fighters came down from nearby mountains and stormed the chief administrator's office in Naubahar district on Monday night, said Jilani Khan, deputy chief of police in Zabul. Both sides used AK-47 rifles and heavy machine guns and fought for about two hours before the attackers retreated to the hills, Khan said. One government soldier was killed and another one was injured in the clash. The Taliban left behind four dead, he said. "The dead bodies of the Taliban are with us. The other Taliban ran away," Khan said.
(This is indeed the best news!) | |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |