In a new round of clashes in southern Afghansitan between Taliban fighters and US-dominated coalition force, one suspected Taliban remnant was killed and four others, including a coalition soldier, were wounded, the US military said Saturday.

"There have been a couple of contacts in the past few days in northeast Zabul in which one enemy was killed and three others injured. One coalition personnel was also wounded in the contacts," the US military spoksman Jon Siepmann told journalists here.

He gave no more details, but according to locals, the suspected Taliban remnants and US forces came in contact at least twice in southern Zabul and Uruzgan provinces on July 5 and July 7 respectively.

The mountainous southern provinces, known as the heartland of the Taliban movement, have been the scene of increasing militancy for the last three months in which over 200 civilians, rebels, and US troops were killed.

In the latest spate of bloody violence conducted by remnants of the former fundamentalist regime in the rugged Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Friday night, two persons were killed and five others injured.

The Taliban and their like-minded militants have vowed to disrupt the first-ever post-Taliban general elections rescheduled for October.

Source: Xinhua