The 90-minute battle started after Afghan National
Army troops disarmed police at a checkpoint and a bazaar in Qalat, the capital
of Zabul province, said deputy police chief, Jailani Khan.
He insisted the army had no authority to disarm the police. The fighting
subsided after U.S. forces arrived and took over security. He said there were
some casualties, but he didn't know how many.
A shopkeeper who was reached by telephone from Kandahar said on condition of
anonymity that he saw at least three dead bodies.
American helicopters were still circling above the city.
U.S. military spokesman confirmed there had been an incident in Qalat, but
gave no details. Afghan army officials were not immediately available to
comment.
Zabul is one of the most insecure provinces in the lawless reaches of
southern and eastern Afghanistan, and has also been scene of heavy fighting in
the past year between coalition forces and Taliban rebels.
The United States is helping to train the new national army, which is meant
to gradually replace militia security forces usually loyal to local commanders.
Afghan army soldiers opened fire on provincial militiamen in the area of the
Durai bazaar in Kandahar city on Monday morning, killing two of them and
injuring one, said Khalid Pashtun, spokesman for the Kandahar governor.
He said the circumstances of that clash weren't yet clear and an
investigation was underway.
Also, an ammunition depot at a compound used by Afghan army and U.S. special
forces in the city exploded late Sunday, wounding three Afghan soldiers, Pashtun
said.
It wasn't clear what caused the blast. No U.S. personnel were reported hurt.
Before the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, the compound was used by
the hardline regime's leader, Mullah Omar.
