News / Afghanistan

Taliban overrun district center in Afghanistan’s west

Monday, 12 March 2018 9:47 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 12 March 2018 9:50 AM ]

Taliban and other militants stand handcuffed while being presented to the media at a police headquarters in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on March 6, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Taliban militants in Afghanistan have captured a government district headquarters in the western province of Farah, continuing their attacks on the government despite a recent overture by Kabul to start direct dialog with the militants.

At least 15 government forces were killed in the Monday attack on Anardara district, said Fared Bakhtawer, the provincial council’s head.

“The Anardara district headquarters is under the insurgents’ control, and right now, an intense battle is going on all around the district center and government offices,” Bakhtawer said.

Attacks against security forces by Taliban militants have increased in recent months, prompting local officials to call for the deployment of added government forces.

Over the weekend, a Taliban attack killed seven army commandos and eight policemen in Farah Province’s Bala Buluk district.

In a separate attack, in Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar Province on Sunday night, seven civilians — including three children and two women — were killed when their vehicle was hit by a grenade, said Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

Khogyani said two other people in the vehicle were wounded in the attack. The victims were all members of a single family, he added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In late February, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on the Taliban militant group to join peace talks. He said a framework had to be created for peace talks, with the Taliban recognized as a legitimate political group.