Kabul, Afghanistan — Government forces fought suspected Taliban fighters in central Afghanistan, killing four insurgents and arresting six others, a local official said Saturday.
Two government soldiers died.
The fighting on Friday in a mountainous district of Uruzgan province broke out after authorities launched a campaign to hunt down suspected rebels in the troubled province, said Abdul Rahim who works at the provincial governor's office.
Mr. Rahim estimated that government forces fought as many as 300 suspected Taliban for about four hours, before the rebels retreated into the mountains.
It was not possible to independently confirm the figures.
The six arrested men were taken to Uruzgan jail.
The province lies about 300 kilometres southwest of the capital Kabul, he said.
Stepped up attacks in Afghanistan against the government have been blamed on the hardline Islamic militia, which was ousted in late 2001 by U.S.-led forces.
