Hundreds of Taliban overran at least four villages in southern region, while an Afghan child and 37 Taliban militants were killed in separate attacks elsewhere in the country, officials said Monday. Hundreds of Taliban militants have entered the Arghandab district, which is some 15 kilometres north of Kandahar city, the capital of the same name province, Haji Ahmad Jan.
A tribal elder in the district said. He said "as many as 500" militants took the villages of Gharbi Ghali, Tabeen, Char after they started coming to the district on late Sunday night. President Hamid Karzai's younger brother, Abdul Wali Karzai, who is head of provincial council, also confirmed that a large number of militants entered the district and Afghan and Nato forces were preparing for redeployment to the area.
Mark Laity, spokesman for Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that their forces along with Afghan troops were redeploying to the area. "We are aware of the report," Laity said, adding, "Afghan army are sending reinforcement and ISAF forces are redeploying within the city to see if there is any potential threat."
A security official in Kandahar province, who did not want to be named, said that police and army forces were preparing for an attack to push the militants out of the area. Meanwhile, hundreds of people have gathered in Paktika and Nangarhar provinces in support of Karzai's threat to send the troops over the border and fight the militants, Afghan media reports said.