Afghan forces warn to thwart Taliban’s “Omari” offensive

Afghan security forces at the forefront of fighting have warned to target the main nucleuses of this group in current fighting season.

“We are fighting against foreign troops; Chechens, Uzbeks, Pakistani and other groups.  This is an international terrorism war,” Dawlat Waziri, spokesman of defense ministry said.

Many of the Taliban fighters were described by local people as foreigners, many of them from Pakistan, with good equipment including rockets and anti-aircraft guns.

Afghan troops stressed on eliminating Taliban’s hideouts and thwart the groups Omari operation.

“Taliban’s continued war means their destruction. We are targeting their commanders and nucleuses,” Sidiq Sidiqi, spokesman of interior ministry said.

Experts on Afghanistan believe that compared to the previous years, 2016 can witness increased violence due to the fact that majority of the foreign combat troops are no longer in the country, which can embolden Taliban and other militant groups to test the capability of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

However, assuming the charge, the Afghan security forces have so far held its ground and did not allow the Taliban to make substantially visible gains to take control of areas.

The casualties of the Afghan forces, according to various reports are high.

This comes as the Afghan Taliban announced Tuesday the start of a new fighting season against the U.S.-backed government as the White House weighs future troop levels for the war-torn country.

In an email to the media, the Taliban warned it would launch “large scale attacks” but would attempt to avoid civilian casualties.

The Taliban traditionally fights in the warm months when snow in the mountains melts, and roads and trails become passable.