11 July 2004	Sunday	22 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

SPIN BOLDAK, July 10: A Taliban commander was killed when guerillas attacked Afghan government forces near the Pakistan border on Saturday, and militants also burnt down a US-built school, officials said.

A spate of guerilla attacks hit the south of Afghanistan even as authorities announced an Oct 9 date for a landmark presidential election which the Taliban have vowed to derail.

Up to 40 guerillas attacked two government checkpoints in a village northeast of the border town of Spin Boldak early on Saturday, said Abdul Razzaq, commander of border security forces.

He said a Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Hayee, was killed.

"His body is with us," he said, adding that three Taliban fighters were wounded, one of them seriously, while no government men were killed.

But a military commander in the area, Lal Jan, said four government men were killed in the clash.

In another incident on Friday night, suspected Taliban guerillas burned down a boys' school in the province of Kandahar that had recently been built by US soldiers from the 20,000-strong force hunting the Taliban and their allies.

The school in Maywand district was destroyed, but there were no casualties, said Kandahar corps commander Khan Mohammad Khan.-Reuters