Ten people including 5 civilians killed in S. Afghanistan

Ten persons including five civilians were killed in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, provincial government's spokesman Hajji Mohiudin Khan said Monday.

"Militants riding motorbikes opened fire on a police team in Gereshk district Sunday afternoon, killing two policemen and wounding two others," Khan told Xinhua.

Also on Sunday, Taliban militants attacked Afghan and NATO troops in the neighboring Nowzad district, he said, adding three militants were killed and two others injured in the conflict.

"There were no casualties on Afghan and NATO forces," he said.

Moreover, a civilian car overran a mine in Musa Qala district on Sunday, leaving all five occupants dead, the official said.

Famous for its increasing insurgency and gigantic poppy product, Helmand has been considered as one of the Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan.

More than 2,400 people, mostly militants, have been killed since the beginning of this year in this post-Taliban nation.

Source: Xinhua