Seven die in fighting in southern Afghanistan

Three government soldiers and five suspected Taliban or allied rebel fighters have been killed in fighting near the southern …

Three government soldiers and five suspected Taliban or allied rebel fighters have been killed in fighting near the southern Afghan town of Kandahar.

Clashes began yesterday in three villages 40 to 65 kms north of Kandahar and were continuing.

Concerns are growing that the Taliban are trying to regroup and may have formed an alliance with Hezb-e-Islami commanders loyal to renegade warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

A group of suspected Hezb-e-Islami fighters came under heavy attack last week by US-led forces in a cave complex southeast of Kandahar.

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Colonel Roger King, US military spokesman at Bagram air base north of Kabul, said he had heard reports from the Afghan military of clashes in Kandahar province involving provincial government and Taliban troops.

He said coalition forces had not been involved.

The US military says coalition forces killed at least 18 Hezb-e-Islami fighters last week after pounding their cave complex in the Adi Ghar mountains with bombs and rockets. But Afghan officials said they feared another 50 or 60 rebels might have escaped the bombardment.