41 Afghan guards detained after shootout

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 29 (UPI) -- Dozens of U.S.-trained Afghan guards were arrested after a gunfight in which Kandahar's provincial police chief was killed, the regional governor said Monday.

Thoryalai Wesa said the 41 guards will be sent to Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, for trial, the BBC reported.

Up to eight other police officers died in the confrontation after the guards, employed by U.S. security forces, entered the prosecutor's office in Kandahar trying to free some colleagues, Afghan officials said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he "seriously condemns this action," which he called a "serious blow to governance-building."