Key southern district retaken from Taliban: Afghan official

Kabul: An Afghan official says the country's security forces have driven the Taliban out of a key district in southern Helmand province from where they had been threatening the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.

Defence Ministry's spokesman, Daulat Waziri, today said that the battle to recapture the district of Naway had been fierce. He says more than 50 Taliban fighters were killed and five security forces were wounded.

Naway is located just 16 kilometers, or 10 miles, from Lashkar Gah, and had been a staging arena for militant attacks on the city.

Government troops also captured a large cache of ammunitions and guns. The Taliban did not immediately comment on reports of the district's fall.

US and NATO troops are in Helmand to assist Afghan security forces when needed.