Militants among 30 detained

ZARANJ/FARAH CITY (PAN fighters and 27 suspects have been detained during a series of security operations in southwestern Nimroz and western Farah provinces, officials said on Wednesday.

The militants included a commander named Mullah Marjan, accused of supplying logistics to the insurgents in Nimroz. He was held along with two of his accomplices during separate operations in Khashrod and Zaranj.

Police chief Col. Mohammad Musa Rasuli told Pajhwok Afghan News the rebels were also involved in a grenade attack on the UNHCR office in Zaranj, killing two policemen and a cook at the police headquarters. A hand grenade, a pistol and 500 Kalashnikov bullets were recovered.

Separately, 27 suspected militants were detained along with three Kalashnikovs and 70 kilograms of opium during a joint operation by Afghan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in the Bala Baluk district of Farah province.

The joint force was backed by air support during the operation, said the provincial police chief, Brig. Gen. Shamsur Rahman.

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