Nine Taliban killed in clashes in Afghanistan

Apr 11, 2007, 5:51 GMT

Kabul - Nine suspected Taliban were killed in a series of clashes in southern Afghanistan, while Afghan and US-led coalition forces captured two militants in the south-eastern province of Pakitika, officials said on Wednesday.

Afghan army forces engaged a group of suspected Taliban in southern Zabul province on Tuesday and killed six militants, including Mullah Jamshid, a local rebel commander, defence ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

He said the firefight took place in Musakhail village of Nawrak district of the province and there were no casualties among the government soldiers.

Meanwhile, Afghan police in southern Kandahar province fought a group of 15 Taliban fighters on Tuesday, killing two Taliban and wounding four others, General Abdul Raziq, border police commander for southern region, told dpa.

The fighting, which took place in a mountainous area in Arghistan district, left one policeman wounded, he said.

One insurgent who was trying to plant a mine on a road in Ander district of southern Paktika province on Tuesday was killed as the mine exploded prematurely, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Also in Paktika, Afghan and Coalition Forces captured two militants during a raid on Wednesday morning in the Gomal district of the province, the US military said in a statement.

'The target was a member a of a known terrorist network who was responsible for attacks against Afghan and Coalition Forces in Khowst and neighboring provinces,' it said.

No shots were fired and no one was injured in the raid, the statement added.