Eight Afghan Soldiers Killed at Checkpoint

Suspected Taliban rebels fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at a checkpoint manned by Afghan soldiers in a remote southwestern region, killing eight troops in a nighttime attack, the area’s governor said today.

The attackers were riding in three station wagons when they were stopped at the checkpoint. They initially pretended to be ordinary travelers, but jumped out of the cars and opened fire when troops approached, Nimruz Gov. Abdul Karim Baravi said.

The attack Friday occurred about 500 miles southwest of the capital, Kabul. One soldier was injured but survived.

“This is a terrible attack because they killed innocent soldiers who were only serving the people,” said Baravi, who called for help from the international community to bring stability to the region.

Meanwhile, a regional economic development conference opened in Kabul, the first international meeting to be held in this war-battered land in more than two decades, the government announced.

The two-day Economic Cooperation Organization conference brings together representatives of 10 countries to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade.

“The conference is an indication that Afghanistan is now open for business,” Commerce Minister Sayed Mustafa Kazemi said. President Hamid Karzai was to attend.