Taliban Capture Eastern Afghan District

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Taliban insurgents have captured a district in eastern Afghanistan and negotiated a temporary truce with government forces in another, as U.S.-led foreign troops continue to withdraw from the country.   Separately, a roadside bomb blast early Thursday killed at least nine civilians, including women and children, in southern Helmand province.   Official sources and residents told VOA the Taliban entered the embattled Dawlat Shah district in Laghman province, after Afghan security forces retreated from their defense posts without offering any resistance.   The insurgents reportedly set a key government building and several surrounding security posts ablaze. The Afghan district had been under the Taliban siege for the last six months.   Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed in a statement that it seized two tanks, a military vehicle, and “lots of weapons and ammunition” after Afghan police and soldiers “fled” the area.   The Afghan Defense Ministry said its forces had staged a "tactical retreat” but clashes were still raging in the area, inflicting “heavy casualties” on the insurgents.

 Rare Truce   The fighting came a day after local elders in the adjacent Alishang district confirmed that Afghan forces and the Taliban had agreed to cease hostilities for a month to allow local farmers to harvest their wheat crops.   A copy of the truce, drafted by elders and shared via Taliban social media outlets, says it will also enable local students to take annual examinations. The ceasefire will last until June 21.   The rare truce followed several weeks of heavy fighting in Alishang, with the Taliban overrunning key Afghan forces’ outposts.   District residents have welcomed the rare ceasefire, though neither the Afghan government nor the insurgent group have confirmed the deal. The Taliban have also released an unspecified number of Afghan security personnel, said local elders.   Meanwhile, the Afghan Defense Ministry claimed Thursday national security forces had killed at least 178 Taliban fighters and wounded more than 100 others in operations underway across many provinces.   Both the Afghan adversaries often issue inflated casualty tolls for the opposing side, which are difficult to verify from independent sources. 'Real Choice' For Afghans   The fighting comes amid widespread concerns that Afghan forces will not be able to resist Taliban assaults for long once the United States and NATO forces completely pull out from Afghanistan by September 11.