Boat carrying Taliban sinks in Afghanistan: official

KANDAHAR (AFP) - A boat which the defence ministry said Saturday was carrying Taliban fighters sank in a river in southern Afghanistan but there was no immediate information about casualties.

More than 60 people were onboard the boat, which sank in the Helmand river Friday, ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, adding the cause of the accident was unknown.

"We observed from the air that Taliban got on board the boat. It sunk as it was crossing the river," Azimi told AFP.

The fighters were escaping Afghan troops operating in the area in Helmand province, he added.

The ministry was trying to determine how many people may have been drowned and if civilians were also on board.

"We know that our troops chased the Taliban and they were trying to escape, crossing the river," Azimi said.

Taliban are particularly active in Helmand province, where 5,500 Afghan, NATO-led and US-led coalition forces launched an operation against militants in early March.