Tribal militia launched attacks on the foreign and Afghan fighters from a mosque and a village on Saturday morning, ISAF said in a statement.
The firefight happened in Nuristan province, it said without elaborating on the exact location. “The sources of the conflict in the area involve complex tribal, religious and economic dynamics,” it added.
“Coalition forces effectively repelled the attack and inflicted heavy enemy casualties while eight ISAF and two ANSF service members were killed,” the statement said, referring to Afghan National Security Forces.
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“The Taliban are in a strong position. They want to show that they are everywhere,” said Mariam Abou Zahab, from the Centre for International Studies and Research in Paris.
North and west Afghanistan were calm until the start of this year, but have seen a sharp security deterioration in recent months, as Taliban insurgents intensified attacks before the August 20 presidential election.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ihSuIJNb5c2LZubwmeqvUTkBjNGw
"It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama....The world is looking.....Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." -Joe Biden, 10/20/08
How's that test looking, Joe?