(05-25) 01:39 PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) --
The governor of an eastern Afghan province says Taliban fighters have taken over a government building in a remote town, seizing control of half of the rugged mountainous district in the process.
Nuristan Gov. Jamaludin Badar says the Taliban on Wednesday took over the compound in the province's Duab district, where fighting has been going on for weeks near the border with Pakistan. He says they now control the west half of the district.
No Afghan army or NATO forces are stationed in Nuristan, only police officers.
Badar says the Taliban fighters were using heavy weaponry like mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, while the Afghan police are lightly armed.
He says eight Taliban fighters and three policemen have been killed in days of fighting there.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A NATO service member has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said Wednesday.
The service member died Tuesday after being wounded in a bomb attack, NATO said without providing further details. NATO typically waits for national authorities to release details on deaths in order to make sure relatives have been informed.
The latest death makes 29 NATO troop fatalities so far this month and 180 deaths since the start of 2011.
NATO plans to hand over control of seven areas to the Afghan army in July, despite new bombings and assaults by insurgents who have begun their spring offensive. The U.S. plans to begin a gradual drawdown of troops at the same time.
The south — where the majority of international forces are based — has been particularly volatile this spring.
On Tuesday, a roadside bomb in southern Kandahar province killed 10 Afghan laborers who had been working on projects to clean up area rivers and streams. They were traveling in a truck on a Kandahar road when the explosion ripped through the vehicle.
In neighboring Helmand province the same day, gunmen opened fire on an armored sports utility vehicle carrying provincial Gov. Gulab Mangal. A statement from his office said police returned fire, killing two attackers. Mangal was not injured during the attack.
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