Taliban Raid on Afghan Government Office Leaves 4 Soldiers, 1Attacker Dead

Taliban Raid on Afghan Government Office Leaves Four Soldiers, One Attacker Dead, Mayor Says

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - Suspected Taliban fighters attacked a government office in a remote district of southern Afghanistan, sparking a fierce clash that left four Afghan soldiers and one attacker dead, the local mayor said Sunday.

The incident in Helmand province came within hours of the deaths of four U.S. special forces operatives, underlining the violence threatening plans for September elections.

Guerrillas riding a fleet of vehicles swept into Musa Qala, a market town 150 miles southwest of the capital, Kabul, late Saturday, opening fire on the government office with assault rifles and heavy machine-guns, mayor Mullah Amir Aghunzada told The Associated Press.

Four of the 30 soldiers defending the compound were killed and eight others wounded, Aghunzada said. One Taliban was also killed and four captured, three of them wounded.

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