seeking comment were not answered aides said he was busy with the fighting but later governor sadats spokesman ahmad jawed bedar said that mr malang had been taken into custody by the afghan national army and taken away by helicopter in the investigation of the killing of burhanuddin qaisarithe governor said that senior afghan military and police officials were trying to broker a ceasefire but other officials said maimana was under a state of emergency as fighting continued on monday preventing any meaningful mediationkarim yuresh a spokesman for the overarching faryab provincial police force to which both of the warring commanders belong said the episode apparently began as a misunderstanding mr qaisaris son had gone to the park for target practice and mr malang and his men responded to the sound of gunfire the ensuing fight left mr qaisaris son dead but the subsequent clashes also cost mr malang two cousins and both sides vowed to exact revenge mr yuresh saidour mediation did not help mr yuresh said we couldnt stop them they are launching mortars at each others positions a delegation including the afghan army and police from balkh arrived to mediate but so far that didnt help eithervice president dostum the founder of the junbish party has his own problems with the government he is under investigation by the attorney general in connection with the kidnapping rape and torture of a political rival ahmad ishchi in november nine of his bodyguards including the chief of his security detail gen abdul sattar have been charged in that case although general dostum has notthe bodyguards refused to submit to arrest and the kabul police surrounded general dostums compound in kabul in february in an armed standoff that lasted several days government officials ultimately agreed to a compromise in which the attorney general was allowed to interview seven of the nine bodyguards but not general sattar in general dostums compound instead of taking them into custodyinfighting has long embarrassed the afghan government even in kabul armed conflict among government followers is common as evidenced by several recent clashes there the taliban often use the infighting in their propaganda