Afghan minister narrowly escapes death

At least 30 suspected Taliban militants have been killed during an ongoing operation by Afghan and US-led forces in southern Afghanistan a week before parliamentary elections, the defense ministry said.

Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak had just left Kabul airport at 9:25 am (0455 GMT) in a helicopter when his car was fired on by four men in combat uniform, ministry spokesman General Mohammed Zahir Azimi told AFP.

"The four who opened fire on the defence minister's vehicle have been arrested," Azimi said.

Hours later, a helicopter crashed at Wardak's destination in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, where senior officials were attending a ceremony commemorating the assassination of anti-Taliban leader Ahmed Shah Massood four years ago.

Army chief Bismillah Khan and Sediqa Balkhi, minister for the disabled, were slightly injured in the crash, according to presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi.

Defence ministry spokesman Azimi said Wardak was not on board. He denied reports that the aircraft had been fired on and said it crashed when its rotor blades hit a tree, shortly before noon.

"While an Afghan helicopter was landing in Panjshir, its rotor blade touched a tree and the helicopter fell to one side. Since it was very close to the ground no one was wounded or killed," Azimi said.

"It was definitely an accident," he added.

However, presidential spokesman Rahimi said the helicopter was taking off when it crashed.

"The chopper crashed while taking off. Bismillah Khan and the minister for the disabled were on board. According to initial reports one of the pilots and the ministers have been slightly injured," he said.

At least 30 suspected Taliban militants have been killed during an ongoing operation by Afghan and US-led forces in southern Afghan-istan a week before parliamentary elections, the defense ministry said Saturday.

"During an operation in Grishk district of Helmand on Friday, Afghan and coalition forces killed 30 enemies and captured... 60 others," defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi told reporters in Kabul.

Azimi said a large number of weapons and ammunition were also seized from the captured fighters during the operation in the southwest province of Helmand.

Azimi said the operation involving Afghan and US-led forces was ongoing in the restive province where militants from the ousted Taliban regime regularly attack foreign and Afghan troops.

Two suspected suicide bombers were killed Wednesday as their explosives-packed car blew up in Grishk.

War-torn Afghanistan will next week hold its first parliamentary elections since the Taliban regime were toppled by a US-led coalition in late 2001.

Earlier a parliamentary candidate narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in which one of his bodyguards and an attacker were also killed in western Afghanistan, an official said Saturday.

Ghulam Nabi Balouch, standing in the war-torn country's Septem-ber 18 parliament elections escaped unharmed when unknown gunmen opened fire on his campaigning vehicle just outside Herat city on Friday, the official said.

"Mr. Balouch survived, but one of his bodyguards was killed in the firing," Noor Ahmad Alizai, district chief of Kohsan district where the attack occurred told AFP.