By NNN-Xinhua,
Kabul : Afghan President Hamid Karzai inaugurated the parliament amid tight security on Wednesday.
The opening ceremony took place amid tight security as the road leading to the parliament building was closed for ordinary people.
It is the second Afghan parliament since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 and 16th parliament in the history of the country.
Meanwhile, a soldier with NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off in Afghanistan’s southern region on Tuesday, a statement of the alliance released here said.
“An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in southern Afghanistan Tuesday,” the statement added.
However, it did not reveal the nationality of the victim, saying it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.
Troops mostly from the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have been stationed in the southern region to hunt down Taliban insurgents and help stabilize security there.
More than 24 NATO soldiers with majority of them Americans have been killed in Taliban-linked activities so far this year in the militancy-ridden Afghanistan.
In TALUQAN, Afghan and NATO-led forces killed five Taliban militants during night raid operation in Takhar province 245 km north of capital Kabul, an official said Tuesday.
“A combined unit of special operation force of Afghan army and NATO-led forces raided militants’ hideout in Khwaja Ghar district Monday night killing five insurgents,” provincial administration spokesman Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi told Xinhua.
He said five other suspects have been detained by joint forces.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a press release issued to media on Tuesday confirmed the operation.
“Afghan and coalition forces killed Hafiz, a Taliban leader, along with several other armed combatants, and detained several combatants during an operation yesterday in Takhar province,” the ISAF press release added.
Taliban militants, who have been attempting to infiltrate from their traditional hotbed in south Afghanistan to once peaceful northern provinces, have not made comments so far.
Takhar and neighboring Kunduz province has been experiencing Taliban-led militancy since early 2010.
In MAIDAN SHAR, Afghan and NATO- led forces captured over a dozen militants in Wardak province 35 km west of capital city on Tuesday, spokesman of provincial administration said.
“The joint operation was launched by Afghan and international troops in the wee hours today in Seyd Abad district which resulted in arresting 13 militants including a local commander Abdul Rahman, ” Shahidullah Shahid told Xinhua.
A handful of weapons were also seized during the operation, he added.
Taliban militants, whose regime was toppled in a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001, have yet to make comments.
The insurgents made a bloody comeback nearly five years ago and since then have been attempting to overthrow Afghan government and evict NATO-led troops from the post-Taliban Afghanistan.
In related development, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Tuesday in ISLAMABAD that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s strategic interest.
Qureshi claimed that the bilateral ties with Afghanistan are being improved.
Talking to media, the foreign minister said that Trilateral ( Afghanistan-Pakistan-United States) Ministerial Meeting would be held in Washington in February this year, adding that all-out efforts would be made from the trio to achieve maximum tangible results.
He said that the Afghan foreign minister will visit Pakistan soon, which would help boost the bilateral ties.
Qureshi said that steps should be taken to ensure durable peace in India and Pakistan, adding that his Indian counterpart has invited him for negotiations.