Taliban Threatens To Kill Commando

Purported Spokesman Repeats Claim To Be Holding U.S. Navy Seal

(AP) 
The eastern province of Kunar has long been a hotbed of militant activity and a haven for fighters loyal to renegade former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is wanted by the United States. U.S. officials said al Qaeda fighters also were in the region. Osama bin Laden was not said to be there — though he is believed to be somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.

The region's rugged, wooded mountains are popular with militants because they are easy to infiltrate from neighboring Pakistan and have plenty of places to hide.

On Saturday, a U.S. airstrike in the region killed as many as 17 civilians, prompting a strong rebuke by the Afghan government.

The violence in Kunar follows an unprecedented spate of fighting that has left about 700 people dead and threatened to sabotage three years of progress toward peace. Afghan officials insist the violence will not disrupt landmark legislative elections slated for September.

In the latest clash, suspected Taliban rebels late Wednesday attacked a government office 40 miles south of the Afghan capital, Kabul, local police chief Khan Mohammed said.

Police guarding the building fought back during a two-hour gunbattle before the insurgents fled. No officers were killed, though it was not clear if the rebels suffered any losses, he said. The fighting was the closest by suspected Taliban rebels to Kabul in months.