The western Afghan city of Herat was calm yesterday following bloody clashes between supporters of the powerful ousted governor and US and Afghan forces sent to keep the peace.
Roadblocks set up by authorities on Sunday after Ismail Khan's supporters torched buildings in a UN compound were removed and the skies were clear of US combat helicopters for the first time since Saturday afternoon.
Medics and witnesses reported seven people killed and up to 50 injured in weekend violence which erupted when President Hamid Karzai -- favorite to win Afghanistan's first ever direct presidential election on Oct. 9 -- sacked Khan and appointed a replacement as part of his campaign pledge to rein in warlords.
The US military said 15 of its soldiers had been injured in the clashes, with three of them evacuated for treatment, along with three Afghan national army servicemen.
Spokesman Major Scott Nelson said he had no figures for civilian casualties, but praised Afghan and US forces for showing "remarkable restraint" against what he said was a small group of protesters brought in from outside to stir up trouble.
"Our forces have not fired one round," he told a news briefing in the Afghan capital.
Nick Downie, of the Afghan Non-Governmental Organization Security Office (ANSO), said around 30 NGO staff had been relocated yesterday morning from Herat as a security precaution.
On Sunday night, Ismail Khan called on his supporters to exercise restraint and the army announced on Herat TV that further violence would be met with military force.
Authorities also imposed a night curfew and US spokesman Nelson said it would be in force again yesterday from 9pm.
But shops were open and traffic flowing normally yesterday on the streets of the strategic ancient city, near the border with Iran and Turkmenistan. Troops from the national army, national police and US-led forces were seen on patrol.
Residents had mixed reactions to the change of governor in Herat, the most prosperous region in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, US forces backed by helicopter gunships killed 22 insurgents, including several Arabs, in southern Afghanistan, the US military said yesterday.
The fighting occurred late Sunday in Shinkay district of Zabul province, a hotbed of resistance to the US-backed Afghan government, the military said.
Spokesman Major Scott Nelson said about 40 "enemy" fighters attacked a coalition patrol in Shinkay, who called for assistance from two Apache helicopters, which opened fire on the fighters, killing 22 of them.
Among the dead were three Arabs, the spokesman said. Another Arab was arrested. No coalition forces were hurt, he said.
The US forces seized a global positioning system, a video camera with tapes, four grenades and two assault rifles, he said.
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