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Taliban Militants Attack Government Offices In Helmand


Afghan security officials inspect the site of a bomb blast that apparently targeted a police vehicle, in Lashkargah, Helmand Province, on February 28.
Afghan security officials inspect the site of a bomb blast that apparently targeted a police vehicle, in Lashkargah, Helmand Province, on February 28.

Taliban militants have attacked a government office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, where Taliban fighters have been battling government forces for months.

Local officials said the police headquarters and intelligence agency offices in Gereshk were targeted early on March 9.

A spokesman for the governor of Helmand said two officers were killed and at least four wounded when four attackers entered the police headquarters.

He said three of the attackers had been killed, with one still fighting.

The militants were stopped from entering the intelligence agency building, he said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility.

The insurgents regard Helmand, a major poppy-growing region, as part of their heartland.

Fighting, both with government forces and between rival Taliban groups, reflects the importance of the heroin smuggling routes there.

Based on reporting by AP
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