Kabul, Aug 17, SPA -- An Afghan warlord fought his way to within sight of the outskirts of a key regional capitalTuesday, prompting the U.S. military to send warplanes onpatrol over western Afghanistan, officials said. Fighters loyal to Amanullah, a Pashtun militia leader,pushed Herat Gov. Ismail Khan's troops to within 30kilometers (20 miles) of Herat city, officials from bothsides said. The officials reported that three fighters were killed andseven injured since fighting flared anew on Monday,bringing the death toll so far to 25. Abdul Karim Afghan, a commander and spokesman forAmanullah, said his men had captured Adraskan district andhad paused in a mountainous area called Khak-e Shabed. "We can see the city from here," Afghan told TheAssociated Press. "If the federal government allows us, wecan take it."--SPA1319 Local Time 1019 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/192648