Afghanistan: Continued fighting in Zabul province as traditional council convenes to discuss security

Ten to 26 rebel fighters were killed on the night of 6 September during clashes between coalition forces and insurgents in the Dai Chopan district of Zabul Province, scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the last two weeks, Reuters reported. On 7 September, more than 300 tribal leaders and Afghan government officials gathered for a shura, or council, in Zabul's capital Qalat in an attempt to improve relations between the government and locals viewed as sympathetic to neo-Taliban insurgents, according to AP. Participants included Zabul's Governor Hafizullah Hashami and the governor of neighboring Ghazni Province, Haji Assadullah. The same day, hundreds of Afghan troops and dozens of U.S. soldiers headed to the town of Naubaghar some 70 kilometers east of Qalat in preparation for a fresh strike against neo-Taliban fighters rumored to be in the area. IL