Kabul: At least 282 people have been killed in clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban militants in the past 24 hours. The dead include 271 Taliban militants, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry. Over the past ten days, the Taliban is claimed to have acquired control over more than 100 districts in Afghanistan. Reports reveal the Taliban have also seized control of the border with northern Tajikistan. In such a scenario, President Ashraf Ghani has formed a coalition with the provincial government and armed groups to prevent the capital Kabul from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
Last week, the Taliban caused turmoil by seizing control of military outposts along the borders with Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan in the north. The Taliban claimed that they did not have to shed a single drop of blood in doing so. The Afghan Defense Ministry has since stepped up operations against the Taliban. Also, the Afghan Army has announced that it is working to regain control of the area captured by the militant group.
A total of 271 Taliban militants were killed and 162 others wounded in the ongoing operations in 15 provinces of Afghanistan, according to a statement released by the Afghan Defense Ministry on Monday morning. These include the provinces of Kandahar, Herat, Helmand, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Farah. Also, eleven soldiers were killed in two separate attacks initiated by the Taliban in Helmand province.
However, the Afghan Army foiled the militant attack on Salma Dam in Herat province. A Pakistani national was among the militants detained by the Afghan Army during the operation. India had constructed the Salma Dam in Herat, for which Afghanistan had thanked India. Therefore, it is clear that Pakistani terrorists are targeting places associated with India in Afghanistan.
In addition, the Taliban have laid siege to the city of Ghazni and is engaged in a major conflict with the Afghan Army here. The Taliban militants are believed to be hiding in Afghan homes and carrying out attacks on the Army. Therefore, it has become difficult for the Army to launch attacks on the Taliban, a local official stated. The Taliban is reported to be fighting in a similar manner in other cities and villages in Afghanistan.
There was no need to fire at the Afghan Army in some areas, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen claimed. Shaheen said the Afghan Army had lost confidence in the Ghani government, and the Afghan soldiers had thereby surrendered and joined the Taliban in some areas. Some videos supporting the claim have surfaced. This is how the Taliban was claimed to have taken control of the northern parts of Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has joined forces with the provincial government and militia to protect capital Kabul and other key locations from Taliban attacks. Furthermore, air defence systems have been deployed for airport security in Kabul. A similar front has been formed in northern Afghanistan, where the local militia is demanding weapons from the Ghani government to fight the Taliban.
Meanwhile, an Iranian news agency has reported that the Taliban had also taken control of a security outpost near the Tajik border. The Taliban have taken complete control of the border, and Tajikistan has also warned its military to remain alert. Two days ago, a Taliban delegation went to Turkmenistan to discuss Afghanistan.
Click below to express your thoughts and views on this news:
 |
https://twitter.com/WW3Info |
 |
https://www.facebook.com/WW3Info |
