7 men freed from Taliban-run jail in Helmand

LASHKARGAH (PAN insurgents and set free seven civilians held hostage at the facility on charges of cooperating with the government in southern Helmand province, an official said on Sunday.

The hostages were released from the jail the Taliban had established in the Loya Mandah desert of Nad Ali district after spending 12 days in captivity, a spokesman for the 215th Maiwand Military Corps, Gen. Mohammad Nasim, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said a tip-off led the security forces to the jail and that the freed individuals were reunited with their families.

Elsewhere in the province, Taliban insurgents stormed security posts in Musa Qala district last night, sparking a fierce gun-battle with security forces, the provincial deputy police chief, Juma Gul Himmat, said.

Six attackers were killed and the rest forced into retreat, he said, adding the Taliban intensified their attacks on Afghan forces in Nad Ali after facing defeat in Sangin district.

But a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, said a commander was among half a dozen policemen killed in the Musa Qala attack.

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