Daily Security Brief: July 20, 2011

BALKH: Five civilians were killed and 15 others injured in a bomb explosion in northern Balkh province on Wednesday, officials and residents said.

Explosives planted on a bicycle were detonated around noon in the Dash-i-Shor area on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif city, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

See Pajhwok’s story.

— Zabihullah Ihsas

KABUL: An Afghan citizen was sentenced to 20 years in jail on the charge of trafficking 390kilograms of drugs, the Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) announced on Wednesday.

CJTF spokesman Ahmad Khalid Mowahid told Pajhwok Afghan News the individual had been detained with opium in the Khanashin district of southern Helmand province.

Prosecutors said the convict was the driver of a pickup that was used for drug trafficking. He was convicted by a primary court of the CJTF, Mowahid added.

Under the relevant law, the convict can challenge the sentence in the Supreme Court.

–Mohammad Hasan Khitab

TAKHAR: Police officer Mir Abdul Khalil was killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in northern Takhar province on Wednesday, an official said.

The blast occurred around 5:30 am when Khalil was returning home from a mosque after offering morning prayers, the district chief told Pajhwok Afghan News.

There were no other casualties, according to witness Abdul Razzaq. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Mullah Juma Khan, the intelligence head for the Khwaja Ghar district of the province, was killed and his wife injured in an attack on his residence 10 days ago.

— Nasir Azizi

URUZGAN: Police commander Fida Mohammad was killed along with two policemen during a clash with militants in central Uruzgan province, an official said on Wednesday.

The firefight took place late on Tuesday night in Khas Uruzgan district, Milad Ahmad Mudassir, the governor’s spokesman, said. He said the Taliban had also suffered casualties in the fight but did not provide an exact figure.

Khalilullah, an area resident, said the clash erupted after the militants stormed the commander’s house. Both sides suffered casualties, he said.

— Ahmad Omaid Khpalwak

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