Afghan Forces Conduct Clearing Operation in Paghman District

Afghan security forces have launched a clearance operation in Baghman district, in the western part of the capital Kabul.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said the operation was launched early on Tuesday.

Three Taliban militants were killed during the clearing operation, the statement said.

According to the MoD statement, a cache of weapons located in Arghandi area belonging to the Taliban militants, including eight missiles aimed towards Kabul City, were destroyed.

The Taliban insurgent group has not commented on the MoD operation.

U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001, weeks after the 9/11 attacks, to help oust the Taliban.

Yet, almost two decades after the fall of the Taliban regime, the armed group is still active across Afghanistan.

According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), as of January 31 2018, 229 districts were under the Afghan government’s control, about 56.3 percent of the total Afghan districts.

The SIGAR report stated that, 59 districts, approximately 14.5 percent, were under the Taliban control, while an additional 119 districts, about 29.2 percent, remain contested – controlled neither by the Afghan government nor the rebels.