Six killed in clashes in central Afghanistan

Two Afghan soldiers and four Taliban guerrillas were killed in a clash in the central province of Uruzgan tdoay, the latest incursion…

Two Afghan soldiers and four Taliban guerrillas were killed in a clash in the central province of Uruzgan tdoay, the latest incursion blamed on the ousted Islamic militia.

Jan Mohammad Khan, governor of Uruzgan, said a group of 250 to 300 Taliban fighters fought government forces in the Khas Uruzgan district for around three hours in the afternoon before escaping.

As well as the four guerrillas killed, nine were captured along with what Khan called "important documents", assault rifles, shoulder-held rocket launchers and ammunition.

The remainder of the Taliban force escaped to the southeast.

READ MORE

It was the latest in a string of attacks blamed on the Taliban that have claimed dozens of lives in the last few weeks.

While security officials and foreign aid workers say some attacks attributed to the Taliban are really local feuds between rival Afghan factions, remnants of the former hardline regime appear to be stepping up violence.

The Taliban was toppled from power by the US-led war late in 2001.

Taliban officials say they are waging a "jihad", or holy war, against foreign troops in Afghanistan. There are some 12,500 US-led coalition forces hunting remnants of the Taliban and the al-Qaeda network it sheltered.

The Taliban also says Afghans working for foreign aid agencies and troops loyal to US-backed President Hamid Karzai are legitimate targets.

Afghanistan says many Taliban guerrillas are crossing from Pakistan, and has accused Islamabad of not doing enough to stop them. Pakistan was the main backer of the Taliban until the United States declared its "war on terror".