KABUL (SW) – There is an evident surge in the Taliban’s attacks across the country as the insurgents engage in seventh round of talks with the U.S. in Doha, Qatar.
In the past two days, Kandahar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Farah, Balkh, Ghor, Badghes, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Herat provinces witnessed mounting Taliban assaults. Based on conversations with the officials, Salam Watandar documented casualties of 93 security forces, 26 members of the local uprising force and 78 Taliban in these ten provinces. At least 44 more security forces have been taken as hostage by the Taliban.
Though, the Taliban claimed to have killed 57 security forces in Kandahar’s Maruf district, but Aziz Ahmad Azizi, spokesman for the provincial governor, has said so far no exact details of the losses on both sides are known yet.
Following Kandahar, the province of Kunduz has seen deadliest Taliban attacks in the past two nights. In an assault on the check posts of the Afghan Border Police in Imam Saheb district, the Taliban killed eight security forces and took away 26 others as captives.
Baghlan remained third in this list where the Taliban stormed check posts of the local uprising force in the Nahreen district killing 26 people and injuring ten others.
Shah Mehmood Naimi, deputy chairman for the provincial council in Farah, told SW that that Taliban staged deadly assaults in Bala Balook district while resuming the peace talks in Qatar. He said 8 soldiers and 7 Taliban insurgents got killed in these clashes and some 20 men on both sides got injured.
In Ghor, Abdul Hameed Natiqi, member of the provincial council, said the Taliban attacked security forces in Tolak district killing eight of them. He added 10 Taliban also got killed in this attack while 15 locals got injured.
Chairman for the Badghes provincial council, Abdul Aziz Baig, said five policemen got killed when the Taliban attacked their check posts in the Band Sabzak area of the province.
The Taliban sustained heavy losses in Balkh province where according to Aadil Shah Aadil, spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, 48 insurgents were killed in the Sholgara district. 13 more Taliban were killed in clashes with security forces in Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Herat provinces.
Analysts believe the Taliban are aiming to enter the peace talks with a position of strength that is why they have intensified their attacks.
ENDS
