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| East Afghan cities hit by Taliban | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Several people have been killed in a series of attacks by Taleban militants in eastern Afghanistan. | Several people have been killed in a series of attacks by Taleban militants in eastern Afghanistan. |
| A group of gunmen and suicide bombers attacked three key sites, including the governor's compound, in the city of Gardez, killing at least four people. | A group of gunmen and suicide bombers attacked three key sites, including the governor's compound, in the city of Gardez, killing at least four people. |
| In Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan, two militants and one policeman were killed, officials said. | In Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan, two militants and one policeman were killed, officials said. |
| The attacks come amid a spike of violence in the country ahead of elections on 20 August. | |
| Shoot-out | |
| In Gardez, the militants attacked the police chief's office and a police station, as well as the governor's compound, a local official told the BBC. | In Gardez, the militants attacked the police chief's office and a police station, as well as the governor's compound, a local official told the BBC. |
| A local trader said there was panic and confusion. | A local trader said there was panic and confusion. |
| "I was at my shop and I suddenly heard a loud explosion and then gunshots. I saw fire being exchanged between the police and attackers," the trader told the BBC. | "I was at my shop and I suddenly heard a loud explosion and then gunshots. I saw fire being exchanged between the police and attackers," the trader told the BBC. |
| An Afghan doctor at the hospital in Gardez said he had received four bodies, all of military personnel. Other reports suggested several militants were also killed in the attacks. | An Afghan doctor at the hospital in Gardez said he had received four bodies, all of military personnel. Other reports suggested several militants were also killed in the attacks. |
| Reports said that at least two of the attackers were wearing women's head-to-toe burkhas. | Reports said that at least two of the attackers were wearing women's head-to-toe burkhas. |
| Taliban militants have carried out similar co-ordinated attacks on provincial cities in recent months. | |
| In May, six people were killed when militants launched simultaneous attacks on government buildings in the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan. | |
| In Jalalabad, a spokesman for the governor said two militants were killed when they tried to gain access to the airport - a base for Afghan and foreign troops. | In Jalalabad, a spokesman for the governor said two militants were killed when they tried to gain access to the airport - a base for Afghan and foreign troops. |
| One Afghan policeman died in the shoot-out, he said. | |
| Troops 'must stay' | |
| Earlier, a British soldier was killed in an explosion in Helmand province in the south of the country. | Earlier, a British soldier was killed in an explosion in Helmand province in the south of the country. |
| He was the 18th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan this month. The death of four US troops was announced on Monday. | |
| On Monday Nato head Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warned that walking away from the war would have a "devastating" effect, allowing extremism to overwhelm Afghanistan and spread further into Pakistan and Central Asia. | |
| The fight in Afghanistan, he said, was essential to the security of Nato members. | |
| "Those who argue otherwise - who say we can defend against terrorism from home - are simply burying their heads in the sand," he said. |