Taleban Fire Rockets Near Afghan President, No Casualties

Afghan officials say Taleban insurgents fired rockets near a school where President Hamid Karzai was giving a speech Sunday, but no one was hurt.

An official in the Andar district of Ghazni province said the rockets missed their target and the president went on with his speech.

Elsewhere, Afghan police say Taleban insurgents attacked a district in far northwestern Badghis province Saturday afternoon, sparking a battle that lasted until early Sunday.

The provincial police chief, Mohammed Ayub Naizyar says at least 30 Taleban militants and two police officers were killed in Murghab district before the attackers were driven back.

The police chief says the government now controls Murghab, and the fighting has ended. The district is located near Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan.

In other news, the Afghan defense ministry said Sunday that a total of 157 armed militants have been killed over the last 10 days during military operations in southern Afghanistan.

It said six Afghan soldiers died in the offensive.

The army launched operations earlier this month aimed at clearing the area of Taleban militants. Army officials say anti-government forces remain in control of four contested districts in Helmand province.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.