As the Taliban launched an offensive in response to the withdrawal of foreign troops from war-torn Afghanistan, nearly 300 members of the group have been killed and hundreds more have been injured in operations by the country’s security forces in various provinces since Saturday, according to the ministry of defence. “During the last 24 hours, 254 Taliban terrorists were killed and 97 were injured as a result of ANDSF (Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces) operations in Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat, Farah, Jowzjan, Balkh, Samangan, Helmand, Takhar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Kabul, and Kapisa provinces. In addition, the #ANA discovered and defused 13 IEDs “On Sunday, the Ministry of Defense issued a tweet.
The ministry of defence also stated that 12 Taliban terrorists, including four Pakistanis, were killed and nine others were injured in an ANDSF operation on Saturday night in the Barmal district of Paktika province. Another 11 terrorists were killed in the Panjwae district and on the outskirts of Kandahar’s provincial capital, according to a separate tweet.
Afghanistan has seen an increase in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against Afghan security forces and civilians, capturing several districts. According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry, the Taliban has taken control of 193 district centres and 19 border districts. The Taliban has also taken control of ten border crossing points in the provinces of Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Herat, and Farah, effectively shutting down cross-border movements and trade in these areas.
Since April 14, nearly 4,000 ANDSF personnel have been killed, over 7,000 have been injured, and approximately 1,600 have been captured by the Taliban, according to the ministry. The violence killed up to 2,000 civilians, including women and children, and injured another 2,200, according to the report.
According to the Tolo News channel, the Taliban took control of 70 districts in July. The government claimed that 11 districts were recaptured from the Taliban in July; however, the Taliban reclaimed Yaftal in Badakhshan, Chakhansur in Nimroz, Malistan in Ghazni, Garmsir in Helmand, and Guzara in Herat.
