KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 30 (UPI) -- A firefight between Afghan forces and suspected Taliban fighters has left five Afghan soldiers dead near Kandahar, the BBC reported Friday.
Earlier this week, the soldiers opened a campaign to roust the rebels, and had reportedly encircled them in the Panjwai district when the fighting flared.
At least one other Afghan soldier was reported injured.
On Tuesday, two aid workers and a soldier were killed by suspected Islamic militants in the same district by Taliban fighters, who have sworn revenge on the U.S.-led forces which ousted them from power in 2001.
Elsewhere Friday, in the central Uruzgan province, at least two people were killed in an attack by suspected Taliban fighters.
Reports said the gunmen attacked a government office, killing two soldiers and injuring two others and a local official.
More than 650 people have died since August, making it Afghanistan's bloodiest spell since the Taliban's overthrow.
