Nine Afghan police, 16 Taliban, killed in clash

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 18 (Reuters) Taliban insurgents attacked a town in the southern Afghan province of Helmand and nine policemen and 16 Taliban were killed in several hours of fighting, the province's deputy governor today said.

The Taliban attacked the town, Mosa Qala, late yesterday and the fighting went on until early today, said the deputy governor, Amir Mohammad Akhundzada.

''It was the biggest attack (in Helmand) since the fall of the Taliban,'' Akhundzada told Reuters.

Hundreds of Taliban were involved, he said.

''The Taliban left nine bodies on the battlefield,'' he said.

British troops are in charge of security in the province but no foreign forces were involved in the battle, he said.

Six policemen were wounded and many shops in the town's market caught fire during the battle, he said.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on foreign and Afghan government forces in recent months. The violence in parts of the country is the worst it has been since the hardline Islamists were driven from power in late 2001.

REUTERS SB RS1057