Taliban ambush Afghan police, five killed

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Three Taliban militants and
two policemen were killed in a clash in southwestern
Afghanistan on Friday, a provincial official said.

The clash erupted after guerrillas ambushed a convoy of
police in Ghazni province, southwest of the capital Kabul.

“The clash lasted for several hours. We have reports of at
least three Taliban and two police deaths,” said Abdul Wakil
Kamiyab, a senior police official.

He did not have further details.

Afghanistan is witnessing its worst spell of violence since
U.S. and Afghan opposition forces ousted the Taliban in late
2001 after they refused to hand over Osama bin Laden.

Nearly 300 people have been killed in a series of battles,
ambushes and bombings since last week, according to the U.S.
military and Afghan officials.

Most of the dead were militants but dozens of Afghan
police, soldiers and civilians have also been killed, along
with four foreign soldiers.

The Taliban and their Islamic allies, fighting to oust
foreign forces and defeat the government, mostly operate in the
south and eastern parts of Afghanistan.