Afghan troops shot dead in south

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Six government soldiers have been shot dead by suspected Taleban gunmen in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

The soldiers' bullet-riddled bodies were discovered near a canal, local official Mohammed Wali said.

A spokesman for the ousted Taleban militia told the BBC they were responsible for the attack.

Afghan troops and US forces have been fighting Taleban remnants in the south and east of the country - a zone also known as a centre of opium cultivation.

The Taleban announced it would wage war on the Afghan government and its Western allies after its hardline Islamist administration was toppled by a US-led campaign in 2001.

However, guerrilla attacks have become rarer since last November's presidential election, won by Hamid Karzai.

The latest attack - which brought the highest death toll for months - took place when a military vehicle carrying the government soldiers was ambushed in Helmand's Washare district, Mr Wali said.

More than 1,000 people have died in attacks and skirmishes with suspected Taleban guerrillas since August 2003.

Much of the violence has been concentrated in the south and east of Afghanistan, where fighters are believed to be exploiting the proximity of a porous border with Pakistan to regroup.

Source