KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The government of a volatile southern Afghan province urged U.S. forces on Sunday to deal with resurgent Taliban guerrillas and said hundreds of them were roaming around freely.

A Taliban official said its elusive leader Mullah Omar had approved a new deputy for the south on Saturday to assist a notorious commander suffering from wounds, and ordered him to intensify attacks on U.S. and government forces.

In a further sign of stepped up Taliban activity, residents of a southern town close to the Pakistani border woke on Sunday to posters threatening death to 25 "informers" accused of collaborating with U.S. and Afghan government forces.

The deputy governor of Zabul province told Reuters Taliban officials, meeting in the Pakistani city of Quetta, had named Mullah Abdul Jabar as a rival governor for the province. Mullah Mohammed Omar, a namesake of the Taliban leader, said hundreds of Taliban now roamed freely in several districts of Zabul and provincial forces were powerless to act as they had insufficient support from the U.S.-backed central government. "There are about 500 Taliban in Deh Chopan district," he said. "The district is under our control, but they are walking freely in the bazaar." "If coalition forces do not launch a big operation here, it will be a big problem."

Zabul province was part of the heartland for the Taliban regime overthrown in 2001. It has seen repeated attacks on government soldiers, district officials and deminers this year.

Taliban intelligence officer Mullah Abdul Samad told Reuters a Taliban leadership council and tribal elders had named Mullah Sabir, alias Momin, as deputy to the military commander for the south, Hafiz Abdur Rahim, who was suffering from wounds sustained three months ago.

The appointment was approved by Mullah Omar, Samad said. ARREST REPORT DENIED

Samad denied a report in Sunday's Pakistani newspaper The News that Rahim had been arrested in the central province of Uruzgan four days ago but freed two days later by government forces who failed to recognize him.

"Mullah Rahim has not visited Uruzgan for the last three months because he is under treatment," Samad said by satellite phone from an undisclosed location.

He said Rahim had been wounded in a clash with government forces, but did not say how seriously he was hurt or where he was being treated. Rahim escaped a massive hunt by U.S.-led forces earlier this year when his mountain hideouts were bombed by U.S. planes after a series of attacks on foreign and Afghan troops. The U.S. military said U.S.-led coalition forces killed up to 24 suspected Taliban fighters on July 19 after a coalition convoy came under guerrilla attack near Spin Boldak. A series of suspected Taliban attacks that weekend wounded five U.S. and four Italian members of the 11,500 strong coalition. The posters that appeared overnight in mosques in Spin Boldak and nearby villages said the 25 informers would be killed "at the appropriate moment." "These people have played important role in the massacre of Taliban mujahideen," one said. "These people have been cooperating with the American forces and their agents despite Taliban warnings." (with reporting by Saeed Ali Achakzai in Spin Boldak)