Clashes, roadside bomb kill 8 militants, 1 Afghan soldier
May 16, 2008KABUL, Afghanistan - Clashes in eastern and southern Afghanistan have left eight militants dead, while a roadside bomb killed an Afghan soldier.
Afghan army commander in Zhari district Rehmatullah Khan says the bomb hit a group of Afghan soldiers during a foot patrol Friday morning in southern Kandahar province.
One soldier was killed and three were wounded, he says.
In neighbouring Zabul province, Taliban militants attacked the compound of the Shinkay district chief on Thursday night, and the ensuing one hour gun battle left five Taliban dead and six wounded, said the district chief, Barat Khan.
In eastern Khost province, joint Afghan and foreign forces attacked insurgents as they were planting roadside bombs before dawn Friday in Sabari district, said provincial police chief Gen. Mohammad Ayub.
The brief gun battle left two militants dead, he said. Another wounded insurgent later died at a military hospital.
More than 1,200 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related violence so far this year, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press.
