Afghanistan clash kills nine Taliban, five police

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Afghan security forces clashed with Taliban operatives in southern Afghanistan, leaving nine fighters dead, while a subsequent roadside blast targeting a police vehicle killed five officers, an official said Monday. Afghan police and army soldiers battled the fighters Sunday in Kandahar province's Shohrawak district, said provincial police chief Sayed Agha Saqib. The joint Afghan forces thwarted a planned ambush at the district chief's compound, and the ensuing clash left the nine dead, Saqib said. Authorities recovered the bodies and weapons, he said. During a cleanup operation after the battle, a roadside bomb hit a police vehicle in the same district, killing five officers and wounding two others, Saqib said.