KANDAHAR, 6 June 2003 — At least 49 people were killed in southern Afghanistan in what is believed to be one of the deadliest clashes between Taleban and government troops since the hard-line militia was ousted in 2001, officials said yesterday.

Clashes erupted Tuesday when around 100 suspected Taleban fighters armed with rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers attacked pro-government militiamen near the Taleban’s former stronghold in Kandahar province.

Afghan officials said the heavily-armed fighters crossed over from neighboring Pakistan into Kandahar’s southeast border region of Loikarez.

The mountainous frontier is believed to be the hide-out of rebel fighters, loyal to the Taleban, Al-Qaeda and renegade warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — blamed for attacks on Afghan and US-led coalition troops.

Forty suspected Taleban died in the latest attack, according to Syed Fazzeludin Agha, head of the nearby Spin Boldak district.

Kandahar police chief Gen. Mohammad Akram said nine pro-government militiamen were killed.

The attackers fled to nearby villages after killing one government militiaman in the first two hours of fighting but battles resumed early Wednesday.

Reinforcement troops from Spin Boldak killed most of the attackers, Agha said.

The assault was the biggest by suspected Taleban in Kandahar since early April, when US and pro-government forces killed around 28 rebels holed up in mountains near Spin Boldak.

“In total, 40 Taleban were killed, nearly all of the enemy were wiped out,” Agha told AFP by telephone. The Taleban were very well equipped.”

Agha said the extremists, led by Mulla Hafez Abdul Rahim, had infiltrated from Pakistan. He said Rahim escaped but his second-in-command was killed.

Police chief Akram said 40 people, possibly including civilians were killed by local government troops.

There were no reports of further clashes yesterday, he added. No US troops were involved in the fighting.

Afghan authorities said to have dumped the bodies of 22 of the suspected Taleban at Killi Faizu refugee camp just inside Pakistani territory, claiming the fighters came from Pakistan, officials said.

“Afghan officials brought the dead bodies in three pick-ups at 7:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) and went back after throwing them in an open place,” Afghan border police officer Fazal Bari told AFP.

Pakistani frontier guards have lodged a protest and were negotiating with their Afghan counterparts to persuade them to take back the bodies, according to Pakistani officials in Quetta, 100 km from the border.

“Pakistan has nothing to do with the affairs across the border,” a frontier official said. Kandahar was the heartland of the ousted Taleban militia which ruled from 1996 until they were ousted by US-backed forces after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks masterminded by their guest Osama Bin Laden.

Earlier this week seven rebel fighters were killed in a battle with pro-government troops 70 km southeast of Kandahar in Arghistan district.