7 Militants Killed in Taliban Attack on a Police Station in Southeast Afghanistan

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Source: NYT

July 26, 2009
7 Militants Killed in Taliban Attack on a Police Station in Southeast Afghanistan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests and armed with AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the main police station Saturday in the southeastern city of Khost, officials said. They set off gun battles that went on for hours and left seven militants dead and four other people wounded.

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The United States special envoy for the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, warned that holding an election in the middle of war in Afghanistan would be “extraordinarily difficult” as the Taliban carried out bloody attacks such as Saturday’s.

“Holding an election in these conditions — cultural, historical and above all security — is extraordinarily difficult,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse. “It’s a difficult thing to hold under any circumstances, and holding it in the middle of a war is extraordinary. No election can be perfect, and this election is facing many complex challenges.”

Fears are growing that attacks will deter people from going to polling places next month, which could raise questions about the legitimacy of the election.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/world/asia/26Afghan.html