Kabul, June 18: Rival factions exchanged
automatic-weapons fire today in western Afghanistan, and one
senior officer was killed in a land mine blast, a commander
said.
Forces loyal to Herat gov. Ismail Khan battled those of
rival warlord Ammanullah Khan for one hour near Zer-e-Koh, a
front-line between the two sides that had been quiet for six
months
Ammanullah Khan said that about 150 of Ismail Khan's fighters
had attacked his positions and laid mines on a road in the
area. He said one of his commanders was killed and five of his
soldiers wounded when the vehicle they were traveling in
struck one of the mines.
A spokesman for Ismail Khan, Abdul Wahed Tawaqali, denied
there had been any fighting and said the area was quiet. He
was speaking from nearby Shindand, an air base in the southern
part of Herat province.
Ismail Khan, an ethnic Tajik, and Ammanullah Khan, an
ethnic Pashtun, are longtime rivals. In December, the
government broke red a truce to end the last major round of
fighting between the two sides, which left an estimated 60
people dead.
Bureau Report
