KABUL, Sep 11 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Provincial officials in the southern Helmand province claimed Monday recapturing Garmsir district which had fell to the Taliban four days back.

Helmand police chief Nabi Jan Mallahkhel said NATO and Afghan forces have been jointly conducting an operation to retake Garmsir district since past two days and finally they managed to get it back today after a heavy battle.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News 20 fighters, including a commander of them named Mullah Shahid, were killed in the fighting.

The provincial officials describe fall of Garmsir to the Taliban as tactical retreat, not collapse of the government. 

The Taliban, on the other hand, say they are still controlling the district's headquarters. The movement's spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said they hibernated themselves in the district's headquarters as to show they have gone and when the government and NATO forces entered the district headquarters the fighters suddenly attacked on the troops, inflicting them heavy casualties.

Located near the border with Pakistan, Garmsir was also once captured for short time by the Taliban just two months ago and was then liberated by heavy fights.

In a separate incident, local officials and the Taliban are giving contradictory accounts of an air strike last night by the NATO forces in Sangin district of Helmand.

Provincial governor's spokesman Haji Mohayuddin said two Taliban were killed and three wounded in the bombing.

Taliban's Ahmadi said NATO forces killed 20 civilians in Sangin during the overnight bombing. He said there were no presence of the Taliban in the place which was targeted.

Abdul Samad Rohani

by/rh