Iranian Killed in Afghan Clashes

Tuesday, November 28 3:21 AM SGT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Armed Afghan bandits killed an Iranian officer and captured eight others in clashes in the northeastern Khorasan province, Iranian television reported Monday.

The clashes occurred Sunday after the insurgents attacked the village of Aqach and threatened residents, according to state television.

Responding to complaints by residents of eastern Iran over lack of security, Iran has recently stepped up security operations to end hostage-taking and contain drug traffickers.

In July, authorities began constructing outposts and a barbed-wire fence with electronic monitoring devices along the 587-mile border with Afghanistan.

Large drug hauls and clashes with traffickers are common in Iran, which sits on a major route for smuggling drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the markets of the Gulf and beyond.