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Afghani insurgents HQ destroyed |
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Afghani insurgents HQ destroyed
AFGHANI and US-led coalition forces destroyed an insurgent headquarters near the southern city of Kandahar, killing an estimated 25 guerrillas, the US military said.
Troops backed by air support attacked two compounds in Ashoqeh Village, 17km southwest of Kandahar.
It was the latest in a series of clashes in the Islamist Taliban-dominated south in recent weeks in which the US military said coalition forces have killed hundreds of insurgents.
“Intelligence suggested that the compounds, comprised of seven buildings, contained multiple insurgent leaders responsible for the deaths of Afghans and Coalition forces during IED attacks and ambushes,” the Combined Joint Task Force said.
Kandahar's police chief Sayed Agha Saqib said more than 100 Taliban were killed in the clash, but analysts say death tolls are often exaggerated for propaganda reasons.
A spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, confirmed the clash but said only five fighters were killed. He also said the insurgents destroyed a vehicle in a convoy of the US-led troops in an ambush, though he had no other details. |
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Outbreak of new killer disease in Congo
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is investigating "an outbreak of an unknown illness with a high mortality rate" in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"The clinical features in the majority of cases include fever, headache, diarrhoea or colicky abdominal pain, and vomiting," the United Nations agency said.
The WHO said it was not clear how many people had died or the total number afflicted with the illness, though more than half of cases had involved children under the age of 10.
Experts from the WHO as well as Congo's provincial and national health services were in the field and had taken clinical samples for laboratory testing, the WHO said.
It said the cause of the illness was still unknown.
"The national health authorities have taken a precautionary approach and are implementing measures to improve hygiene, ensure the safety of the water supply, promote safe burial practices and strengthen infection control," it said.
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British troops quit Basra |
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British troops quit Basra, official says
BRITISH troops have quit the city of Basra and handed control of their Basra Palace base to Iraqi troops, an Iraqi general says.
"British troops began their withdrawal from Basra Palace at 11pm last night (5am today AEST)," said General Mohan Sahed, commander of Basra military operations.
"The Iraqi army has now taken over responsibility and the area is off-limits.
"No one can approach except those who are authorised until the prime minister issues a statement about the status of the palace." |
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