Armed Taliban suffered heavy causalities in Takhar clashes

Spokesman of Takhar governor said Friday that at least dozens Taliban fighters were killed and wounded during overnight clashes with Afghan security forces, backed by local anti-Taliban militiamen.

He noted that following the complete filtration of Khawja Ghar district, operations will begin in Durqad district.

In result of clashes between Afghan security forces and the armed Taliban group more than 30 Taliban fighters were killed and 30 others injured.

Clashes come at the edge after Taliban captured one of the districts of the Takhar province.

Durqad district is located on the banks of the Oxus River, on the border with Tajikistan that collapsed into Taliban’s hands on Wednesday morning.

The area around Darqad is not one where there have been reports of major damage or loss of life from Monday’s earthquake, which killed more than 300 people across broad swaths of northern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But it is well within the impact zone, and at least 15 people have been reported killed and more than 40 injured in Takhar province as a whole.

In late September, this combined force took control of the capital of northern Kunduz province, also called Kunduz, and held it for three days before Afghan forces launched a counteroffensive.

The audacity of that attack took the Kabul government by surprise and highlighted weaknesses in intelligence and military organization nine months after international combat forces led by the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan.