28 Taliban militants killed in fighting with Afghan forces
Afghan security forces have killed at least 28 Taliban militants, including a senior commander, in the northern Kunduz province, an official says.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Sediq Sediqi said Tuesday that the commander identified as Mullah Mustafa and his comrades were killed the night before by security forces in the province’s Imam Sahib district.
Sediqi added that the military has deployed reinforcements to the province, where a major operation is underway after the militants surrounded the center of Imam Sahib on April 26.
Imamuddin Qoraishi, Imam Saheb district governor, reported that the militants had destroyed six bridges to hinder the security forces.
This is while recent clashes some 60 kilometers to the southwest in the Qala-e-Zal district left 15 militants and three troops dead, according to district chief Habibullah Mohtasham.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that their members had ambushed the troops heading towards Imam Sahib.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense released a statement on Monday, saying 72 militants and five government soldiers have been killed in separate military operations in the past 24 hours.
The military operations come as the Taliban launched its so-called annual spring offensive dubbed “Azm” (Resolution) on April 24 against Afghan forces as well as foreign embassies.
Afghan Interior Minister Noorul Haq Ulumi and the deputy to Defense Ministry spokesman, Brigadier General Dawlat Waziri, have dismissed the Taliban spring offensive, saying the country’s security forces are capable of foiling the militants’ attacks. “Our enemies don’t have the capability to collapse any province or district,” Waziri said.
Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still witnessing violence, which threatens stability.
At least 13,500 foreign forces remain in Afghanistan despite the end of the US-led combat mission, which came on December 31, 2014. The forces, mainly from the United States, are there for what Washington calls a support mission. NATO says the forces will focus mainly on counterterrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.
CAH/GHN/HMV
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