TALIBAN CAPTURES 5 VILLAGES IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN

FILE (AP Photos/Allauddin Khan, File)

On Thursday, the Taliban captured Qarai, Chakna, Balai Bam and Jawdana villages in Qaysar district of Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad. Voice of Jihad also announced that an Afghan Army soldiers was killed and 3 others were injured in the attack on the villages.

Moreover, the Taliban attacked Borghan Bala and Borghan Payan areas and a strategic checkpoint in Faryab province. Voice of Jihad said that clashes in the newly captured areas were ongoing. Two Afghan soldiers were injured in the clashes.

Meanwhile, Taliban fighters attacked two checkpoints of the Afghan Army and Police in Arghandab district of Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan. 3 Afghan soldiers were killed and 2 others were injured in the attack according to Voice of Jihad.

In a related development, Afghan officials announced that 17 Taliban fighters were killed during a joint air and ground operations in different areas of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The operation was carried out by the Afghan Army and NATO forces.

During the operation NATO warplanes conducted airstrikes on positions of the Taliban in Greshk, Bolan, and Nawa districts of Helmand province, according to Afghan officials.

Such joint operations by Afghan Arm, Police and the NATO have proven so far to be useless. According to Afghan sources, the Taliban usually withdraws from the targeted area ahead of the operation and comes back when the operation is over.

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