20 More Taliban Pulverized - Liberals in Tears

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents launched four attacks in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Friday and three policemen and 20 Taliban were killed, the province's deputy governor said. About 200 insurgents were involved in the fighting, and some of them had ambushed police reinforcements going to the scene of the initial clash, said deputy provincial governor Mullah Mir, who was in a police convoy that came under attack. "We're sending more reinforcements. The fighting is still going on," Mir said. It was the biggest guerrilla attack in Afghanistan for several months. Aircraft from a U.S.-led force battling insurgents in the Afghan south and east had come to the help of the police and had bombed the Taliban attackers, Mir said. A U.S. military spokesman said aircraft had "provided close air support" to Afghan security forces. He declined to elaborate.