18 Taliban Killed in Attack on Afghan Provincial Capital
By VOA News
15 October 2008
Afghan officials say at least 18 Taliban militants were killed in the second attack this week on a key southern provincial capital.
They say the militants launched the attack late Tuesday on Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. Gunmen also killed six police officers at a checkpoint north of the city.
Earlier Tuesday, the United Nations' top envoy in Afghanistan said the Taliban insurgency has spread beyond the country's south and east, leading to more attacks on civilians and aid workers.
Kai Eide told the U.N. Security Council Afghanistan saw the highest number of attacks in July and August of this year, since 2002.
But the U.N. envoy also cautioned against pessimistic statements, saying there have been some positive developments in Afghanistan.
Eide cited changes in the Afghan government and improving relations with neighboring Pakistan.
Also on Tuesday, Afghanistan's Defense Minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, said violence is high, in part because security gains in Iraq are prompting foreign militants to head to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad told the U.N. Security Council the United States deeply regrets the accidental loss of Afghan civilian lives, and that the U.S. does not take the issue lightly.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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