12 Afghan security personnel killed in Taliban attack in Badghis province

Twelve Afghan security personnel have been killed in clashes with the Taliban in the northwestern province of Badghis.

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that in a time span of 24 hours eight Afghan National Army soldiers and four police "who fought with bravery and courage" were killed in Bala Murghab district.

Ten soldiers and two dozen other police officers were also wounded in the clashes.

The statement said nearly a hundred Taliban militants were killed, too.

Jamshid Shahabi, the spokesman for the Badghis governor, said the militants "have suffered heavy casualties."

US-led foreign forces have cooperated with the Afghan army in the clashes, Shahabi added.

Fighting has raged since hundreds of Taliban militants stormed Bala Murghab on April 3, attacking several security checkpoints.

PressTV-Taliban overrun key district in western Afghanistan

Hundreds of Taliban fighters storm Bala Murghab district in Afghanistan's western Badghis province, killing dozens of government forces.

Last week, the defense ministry said Afghan forces had made a "tactical retreat" from a number of checkpoints to "avoid civilian casualties."

In March, 50 government soldiers were killed during a week-long battle in the district. Some 100 Afghan soldiers fled their posts and tried to cross into neighboring Turkmenistan. Many were captured by the Taliban after Turkmen government forces prevented them from crossing the border safely.

PressTV-Dozens of Afghan border police surrender to Taliban

Dozens of Afghan security forces surrender to the Taliban during intensified fighting by the militants for control of Afghanistan’s western province of Badghis, which borders Turkmenistan.

President Ashraf Ghani said earlier this year that 45,000 members of Afghan security forces had been killed since he took office in September 2014.

The Taliban’s five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. But 18 years on, Washington is still entangled in the war and is now seeking a truce with the militants.

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