TALIBAN CLAIMS IT KILLED DOZENS OF AFGHAN SOLDIERS IN SUICIDE ATTACK

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On July 14, a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) of the Taliban targeted a joint center of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) in the area of Bashran Dasht in Lashkargah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad.

The Taliban claimed that 37 personnel of the ANA and the ANP were killed and 11 others were injured in the SVBIED attack. According to Voice of Jihad, 6 armored personnel carriers (APCs) of the ANA were also destroyed as a result of the explosion.

A spokesman of Lashkargah’s governor, Omar Zowak confirmed to the Afghan TOLO TV that a SVBIED targeted a joint center of the ANA and the ANP in Helmand. However, Zowak said that only one Afghan policeman was killed and 11 others were injured in the attack.

According to the Taliban, the suicide attack is a part of its spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh”, which was launched on April 25 in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US military presence in Afghanistan.

A day earlier, Taliban fighters killed 9 personnel of the ANA in rapid attack in Helmand. These recent attacks are an example of the deteriorating security situation in the southern province.

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