Afghan gun battle leaves 5 militants dead in Badakhshan

Faizabad (Afghanistan), April 25 (IANS) Five militants have been confirmed dead as a clash erupted in Shahr-e-Bazarg district of northern Badakhshan province on Sunday, provincial government spokesman Sanahullah Rohani said.The clash flared up after a group of Taliban militants attacked the police checkpoints in Shahr-e-Bazarg district early Sunday morning and police returned fire, killing five insurgents and forcing the militants to flee, the official said.Eight more militants sustained injury in the firefight, Rohani further said without providing more details, the Xinhua news agency reported. In the meantime, an army officer in province Abdul Razaq confirmed with Xinhua about the fighting and said two security personnel were injured in the gun battle.Taliban militants are yet to comment on the situation in the relatively troubled district.
--IANS int/rs