Nuristan clash enters second day

JALALABAD (PAN): Both militants and security forces suffered casualties on the second day of an ongoing clash in eastern Nuristan province, officials said on Tuesday.

Four militants were killed and two others injured during the firefight on Monday night in the Jagbag area of Doab district, Governor Jamaluddin Badr told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Two policemen were also injured in the clash, he said, accusing the insurgents of attacking a mosque and a clinic in the area. Police reinforcements had been sent to the district, he added.

The battle that erupted at 11pm was still in progress, said the district chief, Fida Mohammad Nuristani. The district bazaar was closed and doctors left a 15-bed hospital due to the fighting.

The education department building, a mosque and a clinic were hit by mortar shells fired by militants, he said. Four dead bodies, nine rocket shells and ammunition were left at the scene by militants.

Hezb-i-Islami spokesman, Eng. Haroon Zarghoon, said the group’s fighters were closing in on the district headquarters.

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