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Afghanistan

Afghan violence kills city mayor and 30 rebels

Article published on the 2009-03-31 Latest update 2009-04-01 09:30 TU

Taliban soldiers in the province of Wardak 26 September 2008.(Photo: AFP)

Taliban soldiers in the province of Wardak 26 September 2008.
(Photo: AFP)

The mayor of an Afghan city was killed in a bomb attack and 30 Taliban-linked militants died in a police operation, in separate incidents on Tuesday in Afghanistan. Sakhi Amirullah Amiri, the mayor of the eastern city of Khost, was killed during his morning commute to work, police said.

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"The mayor has been killed. Two of his nephews and two civilians were wounded in the blast," said Khost province police chief Abdul Qayom Baqizoi.

There was no claim of responsibility but Khost, which shares a border with Pakistan, has been troubled with a series of attacks recently.

In a separate incident, the Afghan interior ministry said police killed 30 rebels in an operation that began on Monday in the Uruzgan province. Authorities seized rifles, machine guns, and ammunition during the operation, which employed 150 police officers.

"Only if all the neighbours of Afghanistan have the political will to contribute will there be a chance for Afghanistan," EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said at The Hague Tuesday.

The Afghan government was enthusiastic following Tuesday's meeting.

"We see an international consensus emerging on the question of finding a political solution for the problem in Afghanistan," a presidential spokesperson told RFI.


"Our friends in the US and our friends in other countries have recognised the importance of speaking with all those Afghan moderate Taliban who are willing to lay down their arms, renounce violence, and accept the Afghan constitution," the spokesperson added.


Ferrero-Waldner told RFI that Afghanistan and Pakistan will have to find a way to co-operate before the Taliban will be eradicated.

Last year was the deadliest of the insurgency and 2009 is likely to be just as intense. Presidential elections, scheduled for August, are expected to be a target for anti-government efforts.