Fierce fighting broke out between rival Afghan clans seeking to lay claim to Afghanistan's southern Helmand province following the withdrawal of the Taliban, a report said Sunday.
The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported that forces under Noorzai tribal commander Abdul Rahman Jan took control of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, after heavy fighting overnight.
Rahman Jan threw about 500 militiamen into the battle against Barakzai tribal commander Hafeezullah Jan, who eventually withdrew from the town leaving about seven dead from both sides and many injured.
Hafeezullah Jan had occupied Lashkar Gah without a fight on Friday, after the Taliban surrendered its last southern provinces under a pact with Hamid Karzai, leader of the UN-backed interim administration for Afghanistan.
The Noorzai and the Barakzai are two of the main clans of Afghanistan's dominant Pashtun ethnic community -- AFP
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