September 21, 2003	Sunday	Rajab 23, 1424

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KABUL, Sept 20: Eight nomads and a Taliban commander were among 17 people killed by US bombing in southeast Afghanistan’s Zabul province, the local governor said on Saturday.

The nomads, all civilians, and two Taliban were killed when US aircraft on Tuesday night bombed the nomads’ camp in remote Shinkay district, 340 kilometres southwest of Kabul, Zabul governor Hafizullah Hashim said.

The Taliban commander and militant had escaped a massive US-Afghan offensive that began on Aug 30 against mountain hideouts in Daychopan, and taken shelter in the nomads’ camp.

Hashim named the dead Taliban commander as Mohammad Gul Niazai.

“The US aircraft bombed these tents and killed Mohammad Gul Niazai and his man and eight other nomads who were not Taliban,” he said by satellite telephone.

Another seven Taliban fleeing Daychopan were also killed on Tuesday by US bombing in another part of Shinkay, Hashim said.

“After the Taliban escaped Daychopan valley they fled to different districts and valleys,” the governor said.

“A group of them fled to Shinkay district’s Lwarkay area and coalition forces bombed them and seven Taban were killed there on Tuesday night.”

Niazai and one of his men fled to the Roghani area, where several nomad camps are set up.

“There are reports that Taliban were regrouping in the nomad camps and getting their food stuff from them and from time to time they were hiding in these tents,” Hashim said.

The US-led military coalition was not immediately available for comment.

US-led bomber aircraft killed 11 suspected Taliban fighters in Zabul and neighbouring Kandahar province earlier this week under the anti-militant offensive dubbed Operation Mountain Viper.

Around 150 suspected militants have been killed under the joint three-week-old offensive.

Southeast Afghanistan has been hard hit by a wave of violence blamed on an apparent resurgence of Taliban fighters who have increasingly targeted aid workers, as well as US and Afghan troops.—AFP