HUNDREDS OF TALIBAN INSURGENTS ATTACKED A TOWN IN THE SOUTHERN AFGHAN PROVINCE OF HELMAND, AND 13 POLICEMEN AND 40 TALIBAN WERE KILLED IN HOURS OF FIGHTING, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAID ON THURSDAY, ACCORDING TO REUTERS. HELMAND'S DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AMIR MOHAMMAD AKHUNDZADA, SAID IT WAS THE BIGGEST STRIKE IN THE PROVINCE BY THE HARDLINE ISLAMISTS SINCE THEY WERE DRIVEN FROM POWER IN 2001. THE ATTACK ON THE THE TOWN OF MOSA QALA, 470 KM (300 MILES) SOUTHWEST OF KABUL, WAS LAUNCHED ON WEDNESDAY EVENING AND THE FIGHTING WENT ON UNTIL EARLY ON THURSDAY. "THIRTEEN POLICEMEN WERE KILLED AND SIX WERE INJURED," INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN YOUSUF STANIZAI SAID IN A STATEMENT. "FORTY PEOPLE ON THE ENEMY SIDE WERE KILLED." IN A SEPARATE INCIDENT, A SUICIDE CAR BOMBER ATTACKED A CONVOY IN THE GENERALLY PEACEFUL WESTERN CITY OF HERAT, KILLING HIMSELF AND AN AMERICAN CIVILIAN. A U.S. EMBASSY SPOKESMAN SAID HE WAS A STATE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTOR TRAINING AFGHAN POLICE. A SUICIDE BOMBER ALSO ATTACKED A U.S. MILITARY CONVOY NEAR GHAZNI TOWN, 125 KM (75 MILES) SOUTHWEST OF KABUL, KILLING HIMSELF AND A MAN ON A MOTORCYCLE, AN AFGHAN ARMY OFFICER SAID. A U.S. SOLDIER SUFFERED MINOR WOUNDS, A U.S. MILITARY SPOKESWOMAN SAID. A CANADIAN WOMAN SOLDIER WAS KILLED IN FIGHTING IN NEIGHBOURING KANDAHAR PROVINCE ON WEDNESDAY, HOURS BEFORE CANADA'S PARLIAMENT NARROWLY BACKED A TWO-YEAR EXTENSION OF CANADA'S AFGHAN MISSION TO 2009. THE U.S. MILITARY SAID 18 TALIBAN WERE KILLED AND 26 CAPTURED IN THE FIGHTING IN PANJWAI DISTRICT, 25 KM (16 MILES) WEST OF KANDAHAR TOWN ON WEDNESDAY. IN FIGHTING IN THE AREA ON THURSDAY, AT LEAST SEVEN TALIBAN WERE CONFIRMED KILLED AND UP TO 20 OTHERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN KILLED IN AN AIR STRIKE, THE U.S. MILITARY SAID. "THREE OF SIX TALIBAN ASSOCIATED COMPOUNDS WERE POSSIBLY DESTROYED BY AIR STRIKES," IT SAID, ADDING ONE FOREIGN SOLDIER WAS WOUNDED.
