Afghan woman shot dead over spy claims

Suspected Taliban rebels killed an Afghan woman they accused of spying for US forces, while Afghan soldiers arrested a militant and seized weapons from him in restive southern Afghanistan, officials said today.

Six militants fatally shot an unidentified woman in Zabul province’s Mizan district after bursting into her house late yesterday and accusing her of giving information to American forces, said the district's chief, Haji Mohammed Yaunas.

The suspects rode away on motorcycles after the attack, he said.

Separately yesterday, Afghan soldiers raided the home of an alleged insurgent in Zabul’s Naubahar district, arresting the man and confiscating remote-controlled mines, hand grenades and six motorbikes, said Naubahar chief Haji Varif Khan.

The incidents come amid a rising tide of violence in Afghanistan, particularly its southern and eastern provinces, ahead of crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for next month.

More than 900 people have been killed in attacks waged by Taliban rebels, whose hard-line regime was ousted by US-led forces in late 2001, and their allies.