A senior Afghan military commander said five militia soldiers were found dead on a mountainside in Niamashien district of Kandahar province, some 240 kilometres south-west of the capital, Kabul.
Earlier, troops sent to search for five Afghan National Army soldiers abducted in Zabul province found their bodies in the Sur Ghogan area, about 380 kilometres south-west of Kabul, Zabul Governor Khial Mohammed said.
“We found the bodies and the Taliban took their vehicle,” Mr Mohammed said. “They were all shot in the stomach and chest.”
Poor security threatens to upset plans for the country’s first post-Taliban elections slated for September, despite the presence of some 15,000 mainly US troops pursuing insurgents and 6000 NATO-led peacekeepers.
