Afghan officials 'helped rebels'

Kunar has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict

Two Afghan officials helped insurgents stage one of the deadliest attacks on US forces since the Taleban fell in 2001, a US investigation has suggested.

Nine US soldiers were killed in July's attack on an outpost in Afghanistan's north-eastern Kunar province.

Both the area's governor and its police chief were complicit in the attack and should be dismissed, said a report by a US military investigator.

It also criticised local police for failing to pass on intelligence.

US and Afghan forces operating as part of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), withdrew from the site two days after the raid, in which another 30 Isaf and Afghan soldiers were injured and as many as 50 militants killed.

Four-hour battle

As many as 200 insurgents had used rocket-propelled grenades, homemade mortars and machine guns to bombard the base from several sides.

Nato spokesman Mark Laity describes the 'very severe' fighting that took place.

They then breached the compound - in the mountain village of Wanat near Pakistan's border - and began attacking the 72 soldiers inside.

The Isaf troops responded with small arms, machine guns, mortars and artillery, before deploying fighter jets and apache helicopters to repel the attack.

The report offered no direct evidence against the unnamed officials, other than to say that "collusion" had taken place with insurgents.

"The district governor and chief of police need to be replaced at a minimum, if not arrested and tried," said the 42-page report, which was released this week.

The report said as many as 50 insurgents had been killed in the four-hour battle.

Correspondents say Afghanistan's north-eastern border area is a well-known trouble spot that has seen a sharp increase in attacks by Taleban and other rebel groups.