Kapisa clash toll increases to 16

MAHMOOD RAQI (PAN): Sixteen people have so far been killed in an ongoing firefight between insurgents and foreign troops in central Kapisa province, officials said on Sunday.

The clash erupted soon after foreign troops launched an operation in Shpai Valley of Alasai district, where a coalition aircraft suffered crashed early Saturday morning.

Six civilians, eight Taliban were among the dead, he said.

Pakistani, Afghan, Chechen and Arab militants were among the insurgents killed, the district chief added. The fighting has forced residents to flee their houses and get refuge in schools and government buildings.

Having no exact figures, the official feared the casualties could increase. One militant commander and three of his associates are said to have been wounded in the engagement.

“At about 12:00pm, a rocket hit my house, killing my mother and two brothers killed,” said Hashim, a resident. Houses of other ordinary people were destroyed as a result of rocket strikes, he claimed.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF-led force said it was unaware of civilian deaths.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the fighters killed seven foreign soldiers and wounded nine others. He acknowledged the loss of three fighters and injuries to four others.

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