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| Afghanistan |
| Hizb-e-Islami militants fight Taliban, defect to Afghan govt |
| 2010-03-08 |
| More on yesterday's story... [AFP] Scores of Hizb-e-Islami militants, including 11 commanders and 68 fighters, defected on Sunday and joined the Afghan government as a clash between the group and the Taliban left 79 people dead, police said. Fighting between the Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami erupted early on Saturday in Baghlan province, said provincial police chief Muhammad Kabir Andarabi. Citing local sources in the northern region, police officials said the battles continued on Sunday in the Jangal Bagh area. The Afghan Interior Ministry on Saturday confirmed the clashes but was not able to give casualty figures. Defected: Regional police spokesman Laal Muhammad Ahmadzai said 11 Hizb-e-Islami commanders and 68 of their men had defected to the government. "The government is trying to rescue the Hizb-e-Islami men surrounded by Taliban. We are not launching an operation for the sake of civilian casualties," Ahmadzai said. Andarabi said intelligence reports suggested 60 fighters -- 40 from Hizb-e-Islami and 20 Taliban -- had died so far in fighting.g. Civilian deaths: "Our reports indicate that up to 19 civilians were also killed," Andarabi added. Smaller militant groups, aside from the Taliban, are also battling the government and foreign troops, either joining forces with the Taliban or waging their own insurgency. Hizb-e-Islami, an extremist faction loyal to former Afghan prime minister turned warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is the second biggest militant group after the Taliban. Qazi Burhaan, who calls himself a Hizb-e-Islami commander, told AFP by telephone on Saturday that fighting erupted after Taliban militants snatched some of his men. He said they had lost one fighter and killed 15 Taliban. The Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami have in the past differed over their policies, with Hekmatyar saying he welcomes peace talks with the Afghan government and the US as long as foreign troops leave the country. |
| Posted by:Fred |