The Taliban took control of a provincial district in Afghanistan's volatile south and killed five people, the deputy governor said today.
The Taliban attacked the Giro district of Ghazni province last night and killed the district chief and four policemen, including the district police chief, during an hours-long clash, said provincial deputy governor Kazim Allayer.
He said the Taliban set fire to several buildings in the district and cut communications lines. The deputy police chief said reinforcements have been sent to the area.
The Afghan army sent troops early today to assist, he added.
After a winter lull in attacks, the Taliban have stepped up bombings and attacks in recent weeks, as Nato-led forces push forward with their biggest offensive in southern Afghanistan to root out militants in the opium-producing heartland of Helmand province.
Nato forces claim to have blunted a vaunted rebel "spring offensive" with a series of military operations in the south.