Afghan troops flush out rebels

Afghan troops

flush out rebels

Kabul - Afghan government troops forced the Taliban student militia out of Kabul's southern suburbs yesterday after almost a week of fighting that has killed or wounded nearly 1,000 people. The troops later advanced on the headquarters of the student fighters at Charasyab, 18 miles south of Kabul.

The United Nations, which is trying to forge a peace plan for Kabul, has called for an immediate end to the fighting. The student militia had previously met little resistance on its march to the capital from the southern city of Kandahar, where it first appeared about six months ago.