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Taliban loses control of town
Associated Press
Published December 11, 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan - Hundreds of Taliban fighters fled in trucks and motorbikes Monday as Afghan and international troops fought their way into the only important town controlled by the Islamic movement. Afghan officers reported some militants were still resisting in the center of Musa Qala. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the insurgents retreated from Musa Qala, which the militants had held since February, and Afghanistan's president said the attack was aided by some local Taliban leaders switching allegiance to his government. Visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown predicted developments in Musa Qala would have positive long-term results, and the success boosted hopes the government can expand into a key opium producing area where it now wields little influence. But Musa Qala has bounced back and forth between government and Taliban control despite the presence of British troops nearby, and it remains to be seen whether Afghan and NATO troops can hold it.
[Last modified December 11, 2007, 01:26:12]
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