US military says 6 Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan

Fri Apr 17, 2009, 3:39 am ET

KABUL (AFP) –

Afghan and coalition forces killed up to six alleged Taliban fighters during an overnight operation in a Taliban stronghold of southern Afghanistan, the US military said Friday.

The operation targeted an alleged Taliban fighters commander, wanted for attacks on coalition troops, in Maywand district around 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Kandahar city late Thursday, it said.

The alleged Taliban fighters and the unidentified "mid-level operative" hiding in a compound and nearby fields refused to surrender, after which Afghan and coalition forces opened fire killing them, a statement said.

Around 20 men, two women and three children surrendered under orders and were protected upon leaving the targeted buildings. Around 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of opium were confiscated and destroyed on site, it said.

No one was arrested, the military said.

No independent confirmation of the incident was immediately possible.

Suicide bomber targets NATO forces in northern Afghanistan

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:05:55 GMT

DPA

Kabul -

A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of NATO-led Norwegian forces Friday in northern Afghanistan, killing himself and wounding two soldiers while coalition forces killed six alleged Taliban fighers elsewhere in the country, officials said. The bomber rammed his explosives-filled vehicle into the Norwegian convoy in the Takht Pul area of the relatively peaceful province of Balkh, said Abdul Raouf Taj, deputy provincial police chief. Two NATO vehicles were destroyed in the attack, he said.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that one of the ISAF's military convoys was attacked in Balkh but would not elaborate.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban fighters, claimed responsibility for the attack and said Abdul Based, a resident of the southern province and Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, carried out the assault.

Mujahid claimed that 10 NATO soldiers were killed in the blast and three tanks were destroyed.

The peaceful northern region of Afghanistan is under the command of German forces, who are part of the ISAF. Currently, 3,800 German forces are stationed in the region while Berlin announced the deployment of 600 additional soldiers to be sent to country before the presidential election in August.

Meanwhile, Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed six suspected militants in an operation Thursday night in Kandahar's Maiwand district, the US military said in a statement.

Five other alleged Taliban fighers were detained by joint Afghan-international forces in separate operations in Logar, Nangahar and Paktia provinces Thursday, the military said.

Norwegian soldier killed in Afghan explosion - Summary

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:23:55 GMT

 DPA

Kabul -

A Norwegian officer was killed and another was wounded Friday in an explosion in northern Afghanistan, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibly for the attack. The Norwegian military said the officer, who was serving in NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, was killed in a roadside bomb blast in Balkh province, but Afghan officials said the blast was triggered by a suicide car bomb.

The officer was flown by helicopter to the German field hospital in Mazar-e Sharif, where he was pronounced dead, the Norwegian military in Olso said.

Abdul Raouf Taj, deputy provincial police chief for Balkh, said a bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle attacked the convoy in the Takht Pul area.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban fighters, identified the bomber as Abdul Based, a resident of the southern province and Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

Mujahid claimed that 10 NATO soldiers were killed in the blast and three tanks were destroyed.

Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen told reporters the vehicle hit by the bomb was not armoured.

Norway has deployed 585 troops as part of the nearly 60,000-strong, NATO-commanded International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

The ISAF in Kabul also confirmed in a statement that one of its soldiers was killed in a roadside bomb blast in northern Afghanistan.

The peaceful northern region of Afghanistan is under the command of German forces, who are part of the ISAF. Currently, 3,800 German forces are stationed in the region while Berlin announced the deployment of 600 additional soldiers to be sent to country before the presidential election in August.

Meanwhile, Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed six alleged Taliban fighters in an operation Thursday night in Kandahar's Maiwand district, the US military said in a statement.

Five other alleged Taliban fighters were detained by joint Afghan-international forces in separate operations in Logar, Nangahar and Paktia provinces Thursday, the military said.

Dozens feared killed in Afghanistan quake

By Rafiq Sherzad Rafiq Sherzad – Fri Apr 17, 2009, 4:43 am ET

MIR GADKHEL, Afghanistan (Reuters) –

Villagers in eastern Afghanistan wailed in grief and scrambled through rubble on Friday to recover the bodies of dozens of people feared killed by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake.

Residents of the village of Mir Gadkhel said they thought dozens had been killed there. A Reuters cameraman also counted about 10 dead bodies in another nearby village, Sar Kot.

"Three of my family members were killed and seven are injured. I think about 40 people have died. Hundreds of houses have been destroyed," Gul Mohammad said in Mir Gadkhel, about 45 km (30 miles) west of the Afghan city of Jalalabad.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a 5.5 magnitude quake hit the area just before 2 a.m. on Friday (5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday), followed by a 5.1 magnitude aftershock two hours later.

At one spot a father wept by the bodies of a daughter and two sons. Nearby lay the bodies of a man and two women.

"I was sleeping when the earthquake happened. We went out for a bit and went back into the house. Then there was another tremor which was very strong. The roof came down and killed my brother and his two children," said Amrullah, a small boy fighting tears.

About 50 women in black scarves gathered in a road, wailing.

President Hamid Karzai's office said at least 20 people had died, and Karzai had expressed his deep condolences.

Mohammad Tahir Zahir, deputy head of the provincial council of Nangarhar province, said 40 people had died. Abdul Mateen Edraak, head of Afghanistan's National Disaster and Preparedness Centre, said 19 people were confirmed dead but the toll would rise as more bodies were recovered from the rubble.

In Sar Kot, women huddled over dead bodies of children, crying and slapping their heads in grief. Farm animals were trapped under the rubble of homes, all built from mud brick.

The villages are located between Jalalabad and the capital Kabul, in Nangarhar, a province that sees sporadic attacks by Taliban insurgents. But there were no immediate reports on Friday of security incidents near the quake zone.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi in Kabul; Writing by Peter Graff)