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Afghan clash kills police chief Afghan clash kills police chief
(20 minutes later)
The provincial police chief and nine other police have been killed in a clash with US-trained Afghan guards in southern Kandahar province.The provincial police chief and nine other police have been killed in a clash with US-trained Afghan guards in southern Kandahar province.
A gun battle erupted after the guards, who are employed by US security forces, entered the prosecutor's office.A gun battle erupted after the guards, who are employed by US security forces, entered the prosecutor's office.
They were trying to free a colleague who was being detained at the building in Kandahar city, the BBC was told. They were trying to free colleagues who were being detained at the building in Kandahar city, the BBC was told.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has demanded the US hand over the guards, the Associated Press reports. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has demanded the US "immediately" hand over the guards involved in the shoot out.
Interior ministry spokesman Zamaray Bashary earlier condemned the attack. In a statement, his office said he "seriously condemns this action" and said it was a "serious blow to governance building".
"Those who carried out the attack which killed the police chief along with other police are criminals. They will be dealt with," he told the BBC.
Gun battleGun battle
The clash happened after the guards - who provide security for the American military - entered the prosecutor's office in Kandahar city. The statement described what had happened.
They were attempting to remove a colleague who had been arrested by the authorities, local officials told the BBC. "Armed men from one of the private security firms based in Kandahar tried to free two criminals - they attacked the local prosecutor's office," it said.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the shooting, but the BBC has been told that what began as a fist fight erupted into a gun battle. "The police chief of Kandahar and the head of the criminal investigation department resisted them - these guards opened fire" and killed them, it went on.
Ahmad Wali Karzai, head of Kandahar's provincial council and a brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said Kandahar's police chief and the criminal investigation police chief were among the dead. The statement said three others were also killed, although other reports put the total at eight.
"In a shoot-out between Afghan security guards and police, 10 policemen... have been killed," he said.
The police chief has been named as Matiullah Qatay and the head of the criminal investigation department as Abdul Khaliq Hamdam.The police chief has been named as Matiullah Qatay and the head of the criminal investigation department as Abdul Khaliq Hamdam.
The US military spokesman in Kabul, Col Greg Julian, confirmed to the AFP news agency that there had been "an incident" but did not have details.The US military spokesman in Kabul, Col Greg Julian, confirmed to the AFP news agency that there had been "an incident" but did not have details.
"I am not sure which unit was involved," he said. "It does appear that there were some Afghan police casualties".
Some witnesses had said US forces were at the scene of the incident, but this is unconfirmed.Some witnesses had said US forces were at the scene of the incident, but this is unconfirmed.
A spokesman for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan said they were looking into the incident.A spokesman for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan said they were looking into the incident.
Kandahar is the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban - although the Taliban are not believed to be involved in this latest incident.Kandahar is the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban - although the Taliban are not believed to be involved in this latest incident.
The province has seen an increase in violence in recent years and shootings are common, the BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says.The province has seen an increase in violence in recent years and shootings are common, the BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says.
It is a key battleground in the fight between the Taliban insurgency and the Afghan government and coalition forces.It is a key battleground in the fight between the Taliban insurgency and the Afghan government and coalition forces.