Posted on 09/02/2005 1:39:58 PM PDT by neverdem
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- U.S. and Afghan forces killed a regional Taliban commander in a clash that also left an American soldier and an Afghan interpreter dead, the military said Friday as violence spiraled ahead of this month's landmark elections.
The Taliban commander - identified by Afghan officials as Thor Mullah Manan - was killed with another rebel fighter in a firefight Thursday with coalition and Afghan forces in Daychopan district of southern Zabul province, the U.S. military said.
The military said Manan was in command of three other Taliban sub-commanders and responsible for the movement of equipment and personnel throughout the northwest Zabul province - regarded as a hotbed of Taliban-led insurgents.
It did not identify the American, whose death comes amid a surge of violence that has claimed about 1,100 lives across Afghanistan - including hundreds of suspected rebels - ahead of Sept. 18 legislative elections.
At least 189 U.S. troops have died in and around Afghanistan in the past four years.
The former Taliban militia, ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in late 2001, oppose the elections, a key step in the country's transition to democracy after years of war and civil strife.
"We anticipated an increase of enemy action as we get closer to election day, and are always saddened when a U.S. soldier or Afghan gives his life in the ultimate sacrifice," said Brig. Gen. James G. Champion, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force-76.
In another incident northeast of the southern city of Kandahar, one U.S. soldier and an Afghan interpreter were wounded when they came under small-arms fire, the military said.
Ali Khail, spokesman for the Zabul governor, said three other Taliban fighters blew themselves up Friday while planting a land mine on a road in Zabul's Arghandab district, just north of Kandahar.
Elsewhere, the bodies of a man and woman found shot dead in southern Afghanistan were arrived in the capital on Friday for identification to see if they were those of two Japanese tourists who went missing early this month after crossing the border from Pakistan.
Authorities were preparing to conduct an autopsy on the bodies, which were found by villagers late Thursday on a road linking Kandahar with the Pakistan border.
Kandahar provincial Gov. Asadullah Khalid said one was of a man and appeared to be Japanese, and the other, a woman, was unrecognizable. Both appeared to have been fatally shot several days ago, he said.
Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda said he could not confirm whether they were the missing Japanese junior high school teachers who have not been heard from since Aug. 8.
"We are in a process of investigation," he said. "I hope that the two missing Japanese are still alive."
Khalid said he didn't think Taliban militants were responsible for the deaths since the rebels hadn't claimed responsibility.
Several foreigners have been killed or kidnapped in the area, and many governments advise their citizens against traveling there. On Wednesday, gunmen abducted a British engineer in the western province of Farah.
Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.
Seems like a bunch of top commanders have been killed in the last few days.
Thor???
Thats an offense to me as a norwegian...
What, a Viking muslim?
I'm sure Thor and his fellow Asgard clones are also offended.l
;...next
Doogle
Have you ever noticed that we never seem to go above 50 bad guys bagged at any one time? (as in: "altercation on Syrian boarder, day 1: -- 50 al Queada killed ... day 3: -- estimates range that 50 were killed in a single strike. Falluja- heavy fighting resulted in the deaths of 50 terrorists -- Afghanistan fierce fighting resulted in 50 Taliban killed .." )
Yeah, you wonder about the numbers. Particularly when it's an air strike. How do they know who was in the house they bombed?
"U.S. and Afghan forces killed a regional Taliban commander"
Good. Wrap him in bacon and tie him to a pole for display to other jihadists.
I"m sorry for their deaths, and pray they're in heaven now, but what were they thinking???
Finally! Good news on a bad news week.
When we purposefully put the hurt on Talibunnies, that is "spiraling" to the MSM.
What the heck? Thrill seekers? I could think of plenty of other places to go other than the Pak/Afghan border for a vacation.
Now a Thor Loser!
Now a Thor Loser!
ummm..
That would be a ...
(get ready)
Thor Loser,man....
Just the sign he needs to hang out
Good hunting!
Prayers for our fallen warriors and their families.
Zabul ping.
Thanks, and another ping.
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