25 killed in Taliban infighting in Afghan NorthBy Bill Roggio
March 6, 2010 12:24 PM
More than 25 Taliban and Hezb-i-Islam Gulbuddin fighters have been killed during ongoing clashes
today in the northern province of Baghlan.
Fighters from the two groups squared off in the district of Baghlan-e-Markazi after
the two groups
disagreed over control of the region.
"The clash between the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters is on-going in Qaisar Khail, a village 9km north
of the district centre," a police spokesman told Quqnoos. Afghan police have steered clear of the fighting
and instead set up a cordon around the area.
The two groups, which are normally allies, came to blows due to a "rivalry on extending power and
collecting taxes from agricultural products in the area," Xinhua reported.
Today's fighting between the Taliban and the Hezb-i-Islam Gulbuddin is the first reported instance between
the two groups. The Taliban, Hezb-i-Islam Gulbuddin, and fighters from allied central Asian terror groups such
as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party often
operate jointly against Afghan and Coalition forces in the region.