2 Taliban killed by group of Afghan villagers

[July 10, 2008]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A group of villagers in northwestern Afghanistan used a machine gun, sticks and stones to kill two Taliban militants and chase 10 others away, a provincial police chief said Thursday.

The militants had tried to abduct local aid workers who were building a well in the Qayar district of Faryab province on Wednesday, said the police chief, Khalil Andarabi.

The villagers confronted the militants, and after a brief altercation, shot at them, killing two and forcing the rest to flee, he said.

The bodies of the dead militants, which included the Taliban-appointed shadow governor for the province, were still with the villagers, Andarabi said.

In areas where there is a Taliban presence, the militants appoint representatives to carry out administrative jobs such as tax collection and resolving disputes using traditional methods.

Cases of villagers attacking the Taliban are rare in the region and the authorities have moved additional troops in to prevent any Taliban retaliation, Andarabi said.

"According to our culture, when the people invited the aid workers to dig a well they cannot allow the Taliban to kidnap and behead them," Andarabi said. "They were guests, and we never give up our guests."

Separately, NATO-led forces said troops in central Logar province killed a Taliban militant involved with suicide bombing networks.

The alliance accused the militant, Mohammed Daud Rahimi, of identifying targets for suicide bombers in Kabul and helping the bombers into the city.

A woman and a man were wounded during the Wednesday raid, NATO said. The woman was released after being treated. Two men were also detained for questioning.

More than 2,100 people -- mostly militants -- have been killed in insurgency-related violence in Afghanistan this year. More than 8,000 people died in attacks last year, according to the United Nations, the most since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

[Associated Press; By AMIR SHAH]

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