Two more suspected militants arrested in Pakistan
(The Kabul Times) Intelligence officials in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province arrested two more suspected militants following a raid on a refugee camp on the outskirts of the provincial capital Peshawar. Earlier, Pakistani intelligence agencies captured Maulawi Kabir, a key Taleban official and close confidant of the ousted militia's spiritual leader Mullah Omar, was caught along with two other leaders by during a raid on a refugee camp in Akora Khattak. A Pakistani intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that following a tip-off, security agencies raided a house in the Kacha Garhi refugee camp on July 19 and arrested a man believed to be working for al-Qaeda and theTaleban.
(Kabul Times is a state-run newspaper published in English every other day.)

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Taleban claims five police killed in southern Afghanistan
(Cheragh) The Taleban claimed that their guerrillas shot and killed five policemen in southern Zabul province on July 20. Spokesman Latif Hakimi said the incident occurred on the Kabul-Kandahar highway at five in the morning. Highway police official Mohammad Wali Tofan, speaking to the Hindu Kush News Agency, confirmed that one policeman had been injured. Urozgan's governor Jan Ahmad Khan said that four Taleban operatives were killed when the mine they were planting exploded. Over 400 people, including militants and Afghan and foreign soldiers, have lost their lives in the Taleban-led insurgency in the unsettled southern provinces of Urozgan and Zabul.
(Cheragh is an independent daily run by the Development and Democracy Association.)

Former presidential candidate battles police
(Islah) A clash between police and armed men under the control of Abdul Hadi Dabir - who stood as a candidate in last year's presidential election - left three policemen and one gunman injured, police said. The interior ministry's press office confirmed the incident, saying the dispute grew into an armed clash when police, acting on a request from Kabul city authorities, tried to stop illegal construction work. The injured were taken to hospital, and one of the policemen is in critical condition, said an official. According to the interior ministry press office, Dabir, one of his guards and five unarmed supporters have been arrested, while one of the gunmen managed to flee the scene.
(Islah is a state-run daily published mostly in Dari.)

Italians take over ISAF command
(Arman-e-Milli) The Turkish contingent handed over command of the multinational peacekeeping force to Italy on July 20. Turkey took over command of the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, six months ago; this is the seventh half-yearly rotation since the multinational peacekeepers began their operation in Afghanistan.
(Arman-e-Milli is an independent daily run by a group of journalists.)

Opium find in Herat
(Outlook) Police in the western province of Herat announced that they had foiled an attempt to smuggle 100 kilograms of opium on July 19. The alleged smuggler has also been arrested, police officials said. Highway police chief Colonel Mohammad Ayub Safi said the opium was recovered from secret compartments in a van on the Herat-Torghundi highway. He said he believed the consignment was destined for Turkmenistan. Without mentioning the identity of the detained man, Safi said the man had confessed that he owned both the vehicle and the opium.
(Outlook is an independent daily published in English.)