Gun battle between Afghan police and militants left 19 rebels
dead in the troubled Helmand province of Afghanistan on Sunday, a
senior official said.
The battle began at 6:00 AM this morning when government forces
launched a two-pronged attack on the enemies near Lashkargah,
killing 19 rebels, Mullah Amir Akhundzada, the deputy provincial
governor, told Xinhua.
Government troops, he added, began crackdown after locals
complained that militants forcibly obtain tax and ransom from
villagers in the west of provincial capital Lashkargah.
Two Pakistanis are also among the dead ones, Akhundzada said,
adding only two policemen received injuries in the conflict.
Taliban fighters have yet to make any comment.
On Saturday night, another two Taliban fighters were killed
and10 others wounded in Garmsir district of Helmand province.
More than 1,100 people, mostly Taliban-linked insurgents, have
been killed since January this year in Afghanistan.
(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)
