KABUL, June 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Eight more suspected Taliban militias were killed as government forces encountered them in southern Zabul province Sunday evening, a provincial official said Monday.

    "Taliban raided one of our checkpoints in Shah Joy district at 7 p.m. local time yesterday but our encounter forced them to flee besides leaving eight dead on the spot," Zabul security chief Abdul Bari Uruzgani told Xinhua.

    He also confirmed that one government soldier was killed and another wounded during the clash.

    Meantime, Taliban's spokesman Mullah Abdul Latif Hakimi rejected the official's claim by saying only one Taliban fighter was killed and one injured in the attack.

    Skirmishes between Taliban and government forces have got new dimension as the militants in new tactic begun abducting government servicemen and killing high officials as they executed a police chief of Kandahar's districts Sunday.

    In retaliation, the government and US army began attacking rebels' positions and according to official sources around 20 insurgents have been killed in Kandahar and surrounding areas since Sunday. Enditem