Taliban guerrillas have freed 23 prisoners in a series of raids in western Afghanistan, after blowing up the gate of a jail.
Insurgents attacked four police posts leading to the centre of Farah town early today, said Mohammad Younus Rasooli, the governor of western Farah province, bordering Iran.
Four of the inmates were immediately arrested because they had suffered wounds in the escape, he said, adding seven more were captured.
A policeman was killed during the incident, which lasted several hours, he said.
A spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, confirmed that members of the movement were behind the attacks.
Clinton in South Asia visit
It comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan at the start of a tour of south Asia aimed at refining the goals of the nearly nine-year-old war in Afghanistan.
She wants to push neighbouring countries to co-operate in the fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists.
Mrs Clinton will underscore the need for Afghan-Pakistani co-operation in winning the war. She will also announce plans to beef up US development assistance to Pakistan, which is rife with anti-American sentiment.
After a day of talks in Pakistan, she will attend an international conference on Afghanistan in Kabul.
