Afghan soldiers launched wide-scale manhunt to wipe out Taliban remnants

KABUL, August 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Four suspected Taliban members and two Afghan soldiers were killed in fighting in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province where pro-government forces were continuing operations against the ousted regime, as an American U.S. base northwest of Kandahar came under rocket attack Saturday, August 23.

Six suspects were also arrested and one soldier wounded during the fighting Friday, August 22, in Khas district, 280 kilometers (175 miles) southwest of Kabul, provincial official Abdul Rahim told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He said up to 300 Taliban members were involved in the three-hour clashes with government troops.

"After three hours they could not resist the government forces and fled to the mountains," Rahim said.

"Today the clean-up operation is continuing but there are no reports of any fighting so far," he said.

It was not possible to independently verify details of the operation in the remote and rugged province where Taliban leader Mullah Omar was born.

Up to 700 Afghan soldiers earlier this week carried out operations in the same district against suspected Taliban members who had seized two villages and killed a security commander and his bodyguard, provincial governor Jon Mohammad said on Thursday, August 21.

New Attack

A U.S. base northwest of the main southern city of Kandahar came under rocket attack Saturday but there were no casualties or damage, ," U.S. Colonel Rodney Davis told reporters at the U.S.'s Bagram Air Base headquarters 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Kabul.

He did not say who was behind the attack but similar incidents have been blamed on Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

The U.S. army has repatriated the body of a soldier killed in southeast Afghanistan, he told reporters.

Soldier David Tapper died of injuries received in a firefight in Paktika province where at least 25 people were killed at the weekend in battles with suspected Taliban fighters.

"David M. Tapper, 32, was fatally wounded Wednesday after his convoy made contact with enemy forces in the vicinity of Urgon in Paktika province," Davis said.

"He was transported to Bagram Air Base hospital, where he died of his wounds," he added, without giving further details of the fighting.

Tapper's death brings to 31 the number of foreign troops killed since U.S.-led forces toppled Taliban regime in late 2001.

Another 34 died in accidents while 162 soldiers have been wounded in hostile fire and other attacks.

Intelligence Sharing

Meanwhile, Pakistan called on Kabul to share intelligence to help thwart Taliban operations, defending itself against Afghan claims of complicity in the apparent revival of Taliban.

"There is a need for much greater interaction between the intelligence agencies of the two countries so that some things can be pre-empted and some misunderstandings (avoided)," Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri told a press conference in the Pakistani embassy in Kabul Friday.

"Because if you (the Afghans) have prior knowledge you can share it with us or they can share it with the (U.S. intelligence agency) CIA but it will be much better if they share it with us directly."

Kasuri, whose visit follows one of the deadliest weeks to blight war-ravaged Afghanistan since Taliban was driven from power 20 months ago, defended his country against claims of supporting and harboring members from the ousted Taliban regime.

"There have been incidents in other parts of Afghanistan... very far away from our border with Afghanistan," he said at the conclusion of a two day visit to Kabul.

"Surely they are not being done because the ISI or the government of Pakistan is turning a blind eye," he said, referring to Afghan accusations against Pakistan's military Inter Services Intelligence agency.

"They happen despite the efforts of governments to contain them and they happen in Europe, America, Asia."

Kasuri further declared Islamabad was fully behind Kabul's post-Taliban administration.

"The purpose of my visit here was to reassure the government of Afghanistan that...our support is unwavering, that we support the government of President Hamid Karzai," he said.

Afghan officials have alleged that Taliban members are regrouping in Pakistan's remote tribal borderlands.

Some Afghan officials have accused ISI elements of helping Taliban fighters regroup and organize attacks inside Afghanistan, but have produced no evidence for their claims.

Pakistan strongly rebuffed the accusations and denied the presence of any alleged terrorists wanted by Kabul on its soil.

Bilateral relations have restrained after Afghan mob had ransacked the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.

On July 8, Pakistan closed its embassy, saying it expects a formal apology from the Afghan government.

A tripartite commission of Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. officials has been working since April to iron out border problems, including demarcation disputes arising from conflicting maps of the 2,400 kilometer (1,488 mile) frontier.