Residents flee Taliban-held town
Provincial governor says troops are preparing to retake town Nato left in October.
Nato air strike
The Taliban made their move after accusing Nato of violating the deal during an air strike that killed the brother of Mullah Ghafour, a local Taliban leader. Nato commanders and tribal elders have said that the attack was outside the area covered by the truce.
Ghafour himself was killed in an air strike on Sunday.
“We are confident that the government of Afghanistan, with Isaf’s support, will take back Musa Qala at a time and place that is most advantageous,” he said.
A large number of Taliban fighters have reinforced the town with heavy weapons, a resident told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday, and Nato aircraft could be heard overhead.
Civilians fear that Nato will launch bombing raids in an attempt to force the Taliban out.
Al-Qaeda suspects arrested
Separately, US-led forces said they arrested two suspected al-Qaeda members on Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan.
Both were Afghans, the force said in a statement, but it did not identify them.
“The operation was conducted based on information provided about an al-Qaeda member known to pass correspondence for al-Qaeda senior leaders,” the statement said.
Also on Wednesday, a roadside bomb killed two Afghan guards working for a US security company in the southern province of Kandahar, provincial officials said. Six guards were wounded.