VOA标准英语10月-Arabs, Pakistanis Identified Among Afghan Insurge
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The governor of the province where most of Afghanistan's opium1 is produced is praising NATO forces for carrying out a well-coordinated attack against Taliban and foreign fighters that, he says, for the first time, avoided any civilian2 casualties. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul. |
| Afghans check debris3 of house destroyed during attack by Taliban militants4 in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, 15 Oct 2008 |
Provincial5 officials in Afghanistan say a Wednesday pre-dawn strike was carried out against insurgents6 in Helmand province, killing7 Taliban and other fighters.
Spokesmen say the rebels were under surveillance by international troops who called in NATO aircraft to bomb the insurgents.
The encounter took place in the Baram Cha district, a major gateway8 for exporting opium and heroin9, near the Pakistani border. Afghanistan's government has maintained little control over the area but this year has launched several military campaigns against drug traffickers.
Helmand Governor Gulab Mangal tells VOA News most of the insurgents killed were involved in the narcotics10 trade or newly-arrived Arab or Pakistani fighters.
The governor says he is pleased with the aerial attack on the insurgents as it was well-coordinated. He adds it was an unprecedented11 success because not a single civilian was harmed by the bombing.
Provincial officials say up to 70 rebels were killed. Governor Mangal says the bodies of a "large number" of insurgents have been "buried with respect" by the municipal government.
Officials say that in another battle Tuesday night, in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, at least 18 Taliban militants were killed as they attempted to attack the city. Meanwhile, six police officers were reported killed by insurgents at a checkpoint north of Lashkar Gah.
Helmand province produces nearly all of Afghanistan's opium. NATO defense12 ministers recently gave authorization13 to its troops here to carry out attacks specifically against drug lords and opium manufacturing facilities.
Afghan, American and Pakistani senior commanders have met in Rawalpindi, Pakistan's military headquarters, to discuss the security situation along the Pakistani-Afghan border.
U.S. officials want Pakistan to attempt to control its tribal14 region. Insurgents use the border area to plan and launch attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
