Heavy Fighting Erupts as Taliban Militants Storm Afghan City
KABUL (Dispatches) – At least six Afghan security forces and eight militants were killed after a heavy fighting broke out in Farah city, provincial capital of western Afghan province of Farah on Tuesday, sources said.
Taliban militants launched a major offensive at around 2:40 a.m. local time Tuesday (2210 GMT Monday) from northern and western neighborhood of the city, in a coordinated effort to seize full control of Farah, a provincial security source told Xinhua anonymously.
"As of now, the initial information said that six security forces were martyred in Farah city," Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told local media Tolo News TV.
Local provincial council member Jamila Amini said from inside the city on Tuesday that the militants had attacked the city around midnight, capturing one district and parts of another.
Amini said government airstrikes had been called to assist ground forces.
"Heavy fighting continues inside the city, and aircraft have just started bombarding Taliban positions,” she said. Reinforcements, including commando units, have also been deployed to the region, she added.
Amini further said that at least one army convoy had been struck by a bomber on a motorbike, causing casualties.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Kabul, said two Afghan forces had been killed and four wounded.
Taliban released a statement warning residents to remain inside their houses.
But the Defense Ministry said it had repelled the assailants and "the security forces are now chasing the enemy.”
The Taliban militants have escalated their attacks as part of their so-called spring offensive.
The remote and sparsely-populated province of Farah, which borders Iran, has been a key battleground for the militants for months, with heavy fighting in Balabuluk.
Farah has gained more significance for the Taliban as the government plans to build a multi-billion-dollar pipeline in the province, which also involves Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and India. The province has been the scene of several high-profile attacks in the recent past.
Smoke rises from a building during ongoing clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants at a government building in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on May 13, 2018.
Taliban militants launched a major offensive at around 2:40 a.m. local time Tuesday (2210 GMT Monday) from northern and western neighborhood of the city, in a coordinated effort to seize full control of Farah, a provincial security source told Xinhua anonymously.
"As of now, the initial information said that six security forces were martyred in Farah city," Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told local media Tolo News TV.
Local provincial council member Jamila Amini said from inside the city on Tuesday that the militants had attacked the city around midnight, capturing one district and parts of another.
Amini said government airstrikes had been called to assist ground forces.
"Heavy fighting continues inside the city, and aircraft have just started bombarding Taliban positions,” she said. Reinforcements, including commando units, have also been deployed to the region, she added.
Amini further said that at least one army convoy had been struck by a bomber on a motorbike, causing casualties.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Kabul, said two Afghan forces had been killed and four wounded.
Taliban released a statement warning residents to remain inside their houses.
But the Defense Ministry said it had repelled the assailants and "the security forces are now chasing the enemy.”
The Taliban militants have escalated their attacks as part of their so-called spring offensive.
The remote and sparsely-populated province of Farah, which borders Iran, has been a key battleground for the militants for months, with heavy fighting in Balabuluk.
Farah has gained more significance for the Taliban as the government plans to build a multi-billion-dollar pipeline in the province, which also involves Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and India. The province has been the scene of several high-profile attacks in the recent past.
Smoke rises from a building during ongoing clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants at a government building in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on May 13, 2018.