A âPakistani Talibanâ was killed while two others suffered injuries in an overnight clash with security forces in the southwestern Helmand province, officials said on Tuesday. Haji Mohammad Wali, spokesman for the Helmand province governor, said the body of the Pakistani fighter was still lying at the scene of the clash in Baghny district. He refused to say how armed Pakistanis had entered the troubled province despite improved border security. Helmandâs Deputy Police chief Haji Mohammad Ayub claimed two Kalashnikov assault rifles, as many hand-grenades and a walkie-talkie had been seized from the combatants.Meanwhile, a Taliban sympathiser was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder of a government servant. The detainee confessed to complicity in the murder, receiving arms from âPakistan and delivering them to Taliban,â a Helmand military official said.
In the western Logar province, US military said, Afghan and coalition forces killed one combatant, wounded two and captured another. Seven rebels had initiated an attack with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire directed at a coalition patrol travelling from Kabul to Pul-e-Alam, causing minor damage to one vehicle.
In another incident in the southeastern city of Khost, police defused five remote-controlled bombs near a petrol pump. Khost police chief Mohammad Ayub said the bombs were found at the Tanai Bus Station. âIf the devices had exploded, they would have caused widespread damage,â said Ayub, who blamed âenemies of the country for trying to create an atmosphere of insecurity and instability.â A veiled woman had been sighted near the site before police discovered the bombs, Ayub said, warning âFrom now on, policewomen would check suspected females to avert explosions and other disruptive acts.â In the build-up to the September 18 parliamentary elections, violence has sharply escalated in southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan where afghan security personnel, coalition troops and pro-government clerics have been the target.