15 Taliban killed in Afghanistan firefight

Kabul: A gun battle between security forces and Taliban in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province left 15 militants including a key commander dead on Sunday, a local official said. [caption id=“attachment_1323381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “A group of armed Taliban rebels raided a police checkpoint in the Jangul area of Abband district late Saturday night, triggering a fierce gun battle which lasted until Sunday morning during which 15 rebels, including their key commander Mullah Alam, were killed,” district governor Allah Dad Halimi told China’s Xinhua. Five of those killed in the firefight were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the Taliban, he contended. Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, who claimed to speak for the Taliban outfit in talks with media via telephone from an unknown location, confirmed the conflict, saying two Taliban militants and six policemen were killed in the fighting. IANS