Roadside bomb kills Afghan district chief: official

KANDAHAR: A roadside bomb killed an anti-Taliban district governor and two of his bodyguards on Wednesday in southern Afghanistan’s volatile Helmand province, an official said. The governor of Khan Neshin district, Massoud Khan, was a fierce opponent of drug smugglers and the Taliban, who issued him with death threats, provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi told AFP. The governor, aged in his early 30s, was driving to work when his vehicle hit the device, Ahmadi said. “The district governor Massoud Khan along with two bodyguards were martyred in the blast,” Ahmadi said, adding that two other bodyguards were also wounded. The Taliban was not immediately reachable for comment but roadside bombs are the weapon of choice for the militants...

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Posted in: INTERNATIONAL

US winning conflict in Afghanistan: Panetta

FOB SHARANA: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday told troops during a visit to Afghanistan that the US-led coalition was winning the 10-year conflict in the war-torn country. “We’re moving in the right direction and we’re winning this very tough conflict,” he told troops based in Paktika province, which shares a long, porous border with Pakistan’s tribal belt troubled by Taliban militancy. “Are there challenges out there? You’re damn right, there are challenges. Are we gonna be able to take on those challenges? You’re damn right we will. “Ultimately here in Afghanistan, we will able to establish a country that is able to govern and secure itself, we will make sure that the Taliban will never be able to find safe...

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Posted in: INTERNATIONAL