GARDEZ (SW): Deadly fighting in the southeastern Paktia province’s Janekhail district ended on Sunday as the government forces claimed to have killed 39 attacking militants.
According to the officials, the Taliban took the district under siege but it has been broken now.
Naqib Ahmad Attal, spokesman for the governor in the province, told Salam Watandar that 9 foreign fighters were among the militants killed during the offensives.
He said that the mop-up operation is currently underway and the area would soon be cleared.
He regretted that 12 members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) lost their lives and 14 more got wounded while fighting the rebels.
Janat Kham Samkanay, deputy head of the provincial council said in this regard that the civilians have also sustained heavy losses in the fighting. He called for the need to erect ANSF’s permanent check points on the main road connecting the restive Dand Aw Patan district with the provincial capital Gardez.
The locals have also expressed concerns over the large number of mines planted by the Taliban on main roads. Taliban have not commented on the incident so far.
ENDS
