SOO MAAL Posted July 26, 2005 50 killed in Afghanistan clashes Agencies Tuesday July 26, 2005 Around 50 suspected Taliban fighters were killed in clashes with US and Afghan forces in central Afghanistan last night, officials said today. The fighting, which happened in the Dihrawud district of Uruzgan province, came during an operation against a rebel camp which had been used as a base for attacks in neighbouring areas, the provincial governor, Jan Mohammed Khan, said. Forces captured around 25 suspected Taliban insurgents during the clash, and Afghan forces were still finding the bodies of rebels at the scene of the fighting, Mr Khan said. Two Afghan soldiers were also confirmed dead. A US military spokeswoman said she had no further details. The US military yesterday said unrelated fighting in the same district had killed one US serviceman, one Afghan soldier and 11 rebels. Three US troops were also wounded, it said. US fighter jets and attack helicopters responded to an attack on a patrol, sparking a gun battle, according to the statement. Eight insurgents were captured. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 protesters chanted "Die America!" as they banged on the gates of the main US base in Afghanistan to demand the release of three local villagers detained in a raid. Demonstrators threw stones at the base's outer gates, which were guarded by Afghan soldiers, but no one was wounded. The outer gates are around 300 metres from the first checkpoint manned by US troops. The three men detained were arrested in a raid on Dheymullah, a village around two miles from Bagram base, last night, the local government chief, Kaber Ahmad, said. "Those three were wanted by the Americans, but no one knows why," he added. Stacks of tyres were dumped on the main road near the base and burned, sending clouds of black smoke billowing over the area. Demonstrators said they were angry with the US for carrying out the raid without first consulting local authorities. "We have supported the Americans for years," Shah Aghar, a 35-year-old local resident, said. "We should be treated with dignity. They are arresting our people without the permission of the government. They are breaking into our houses and offending the people. We are very angry." Hundreds of local residents are employed at the base to clean, construct buildings and carry out other jobs. There has been little violence in the area since US forces took control of the base soon after ousting the Taliban in 2001. Thousands of US and other soldiers live at the base, which is surrounded by several razor-wire fences. Areas outside the perimeter remain mined from Afghanistan's civil war and Soviet occupation. Guerrilla violence in Afghanistan has surged prior to parliamentary elections scheduled for late September. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
General Duke Posted July 26, 2005 the tragedy continues, may allah ease the suffering of our people everywhere... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
