45 Killed in Fighting in Southern Afghanistan

Afghan police and U.S. military forces said Wednesday that they had killed 44 suspected insurgents in a battle in a volatile province known for harboring Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters.

One Afghan policeman died in the fighting Tuesday in the Dai Chopan area of Zabol province. Six U.S. soldiers, five Afghan police and a guerrilla were wounded in the battle, which began after an Afghan man complained to police that he had been beaten.

“The man led the Afghan police and U.S. forces to the location of the beating, where they came under small-arms fire,” said Lt. Cindy Moore, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters of the U.S.-led force assisted in the fight.

In addition to the deaths, six suspected insurgents and a village leader were detained after residents said he was a member of the Taliban.

Zabol is home to many of the Taliban’s top leaders, who have tribal ties in the mostly Pushtun province about 250 miles southwest of Kabul, the capital. As a result, President Hamid Karzai’s administration has had a difficult time trying to establish a stable and loyal provincial government.

“At least four districts of Zabol province are controlled by Taliban and Al Qaeda groups at nighttime,” said Latfullah Mashal, an Interior Ministry spokesperson. “They are wandering rebels that hide during the day.”

Because of the instability, development and reconstruction have been almost nonexistent since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Very few nongovernmental groups operate in Zabol, and it is still not connected to the country’s mobile phone networks.

“Most Zabol residents and government officials do not report the whereabouts of Taliban operatives, and some even harbor them in their homes,” Mashal said.

Many residents still support the Taliban, and some others fear retribution if they reveal them.

“They ride around on motorcycles, and most of them have more power than our local leaders,” said a Zabol resident, who asked not to identified, fearing for her safety. “We turn a blind eye to what they are doing and hope they don’t notice us.”

Zabol’s porous border with Pakistan has also been known to be the gateway for Al Qaeda recruits from Uzbekistan, Pakistan and China, Afghan officials say.

The insurgent activity has kept the U.S. military busy in the area. The military operates an intelligence network in the province and occasionally conducts raids on villages and homes.

“We have aggressive controls going on in areas where there are pockets of insurgents,” said Moore, the U.S. spokeswoman. There are more than 18,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The U.S. raids, however, can foster anti-American sentiment that fuels support for the Taliban.