TALIBAN CAPTURES TWO ARMY BASES AND SEVERAL CHECKPOINTS IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN

Taliban fighters during a military exercise before “Operation al-Khandagh”

Taliban fighters captured two military bases and nine checkpoints of the Afghan Army and Police in a successful coordinated attack in the Almar district of the northern province of Faryab, the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad reported on April 27.

According to the news agency, Taliban fighters captured loads of weapons including two US-made armored vehicles.

Mohammad Saleh Saleh, the governor of Almar district, acknowledged that nine Afghan policeman had been killed and fifteen others were injured in the Taliban attack on the district, according to the Afghan TOLO TV.

Abdul Karim Yourish spokesman for Faryab Police said that Afghan policemen had killed eleven members of the Taliban during the clashes in Almar, including “Mohammad Amin” the movement’s field commander. However, Yourish didn’t clarify if the attack had been fully repelled.

The Voice of Jihad said that the attack is a part of the Taliban’s spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh.” The offensive was launched on April 25. According to the Taliban, it is a response to Washington’s decision to increase the US presence in the war-torn country.

So far the Afghan Army has successfully contained the Taliban offensive in most Afghan provinces. However, the Taliban conducted some successful attacks in Nangarhar province on April 26.

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