Kabul claims killing 51 Taliban after attacks in Kandahar

Published December 14, 2020
In this file photo, security forces take part in an ongoing operation against Taliban militants in Sarkari Bagh in Arghandad district of Kandahar province on November 2. — AFP
In this file photo, security forces take part in an ongoing operation against Taliban militants in Sarkari Bagh in Arghandad district of Kandahar province on November 2. — AFP

KANDAHAR: Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed in fierce overnight fighting between Afghan forces and militants who attacked multiple checkpoints in the insurgent bastion of Kandahar, officials said on Sunday.

Taliban militants attacked checkpoints in five districts surrounding the city of Kandahar, which Afghan forces countered with heavy air and ground assaults, the ministry of defence said in a statement.

“The security forces repulsed the attack, killing 51 terrorists and wounding nine,” the ministry said, without offering details of any casualties among government forces.

Seven members of a family were also killed in an Afghan air strike in one of the districts, a local official said on condition of anonymity.

“The Afghan air force wanted to target a car filled with explosives... when they hit the car it detonated and caused civilian fatalities,” he said.

The ministry of defence said it was investigating the incident.

The fighting lasted for several hours through the night, marked with continuous gun battles and heavy bombardments, a correspondent reported from Kandahar.

The southern province of Kandahar is the birthplace of the Islamist movement, and over the past few weeks militants have launched attacks in districts on the outskirts of the city of Kandahar, the provincial capital.

The Taliban launched a similar offensive in the neighbouring province of Helmand in September that sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing.

That attack, which also targeted the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, prompted the US to call in air strikes to defend Afghan forces.

Since a US-Taliban deal in February, the insurgents have not carried out major attacks on key cities but have launched near-daily assaults against Afghan forces in rural areas.

The surge in violence in recent months comes as the Taliban and Afghan government engage in peace talks.

The negotiations started on September 12 in the Qatari capital of Doha, but on Saturday the two sides announced a pause until January 5.

The insurgents and the government side both tweeted they had exchanged “preliminary lists of agenda items for the inter-Afghan talks and held introductory discussions on the topics” to be covered when the meetings restart.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.