KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Taliban insurgents have seized control of a district in southeast Afghanistan after aclash that killed five people, including the local mayorand his police chief, a senior official said Friday. The Taliban takeover is an embarrassment to the Afghan government and its foreign backers, and shows how vulnerable the government remains despite the presence of some 47,000 U.S. and NATO troops, the Associated Press reported. The Taliban launched the attack Thursday evening on the Giro district of Ghazni province, setting fire to severalbuildings and cutting communication lines, said provincial deputy governor Kazim Allayer. The district mayor and four policemen, including thepolice chief, were killed in a battle with the insurgentsthat lasted several hours, Allayer said. Policereinforcements have been sent to the area, Ghazni's deputy police chief Mohammad Zaman said. Giro is about 110 miles (175 kilometers ) southwest ofKabul.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/444680