Seven Taliban rebels killed in army raid

Afghan soldiers and police raided a hideout where a large group of suspected Taliban militants were suspected of preparing to disrupt this weekend’s presidential elections, prompting a three-hour firefight that left seven insurgents dead, officials said today.

The fighting broke out at about 3pm yesterday in a mountainous area of southern Uruzgan province, hours after rebels had attacked a police checkpoint, said Matiullah Khan, the provincial chief of police.