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Kunduz & Baghlan: clashes continue after 2 days with 56 Talibs and 20 troops dead, highways still closed, Talib weapons emir airstruck, jacket wallah in Kunduz city kills 6 troops, Talibs pushed toward outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri city, killing 21 Talibs
 Highways Remain Closed As Clashes Continue In BaghlanMain highways in northern Afghanistan – the Kabul-Baghlan and Baghlan-Kunduz highways – have been closed to traffic over the past two days after the Taliban militants attacked the northern and northeastern cities of Kunduz and Baghlan. The Taliban’s attack on the city of Kunduz was repelled by Afghan forces but sources say that threats remain high on the outskirts of the city near the Kunduz-Takhar and Baghlan-Kunduz highways. The highways connect Kabul with the northern province of Balkh and northeastern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan. Sources said that hundreds of passengers have been stranded on two sides of the highway. TOLOnews reporter Sharif Amiry who is in Pul-e-Khumri city, the center of Baghlan, said Taliban militants were pushed back towards “Cement Khana” area on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri city. The Ministry of Interior said in a statement that Afghan forces targeted the Taliban from three directions and pushed them back to Cement Khana area of Baghlan which is far from the center of the city. “At least 21 Taliban were killed and 13 others were wounded while eight others were arrested in Baghlan clashes,” the statement said. Baghlan hospital officials said eight people including four civilians were killed in the clashes and 40 others, including 28 civilians, were wounded. TOLOnews reporter says some Baghlan residents have also taken arms to fight against the Taliban. Airstrike in Kunduz kills Taliban’s weapons facilitator for the North-eastern provinces  [KhaamaPress] An airstrike in northern Kunduz province killed a top Taliban leader who was facilitating the supply of weapons and munitions to the fighters of the group.The security officials said the security forces conducted the airstrike in Buz Kandahari area of Kunduz. The officials further added that the airstrike also killed two security of Syed Mohammad alias Elias, the weapons facilitator of Taliban in Kunduz. Furthermore, the officials said Syed Mohammad was also facilitating supply of weapons and munitions to Taliban militants in other North-eastern provinces. He also had close links with the Quetta Council of the Taliban group, the officials added. The Taliban group has not commented in this regard so far. Update: Suicide attack in Kunduz leaves at least 17 dead, wounded  [KhaamaPress] A suicide attack in northern Kunduz province has left at least 17 people dead or wounded including many civilians.An official in the Ministry of Interior confirmed that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives High Security Unit at around 3:00 pm local time. The official further added that the attack claimed the lives of at least 6 security personnel. Furthermore, the official said the attack also wounded 11 people including many civilians. No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Residents Say Taliban Can Make A Comeback In Kunduz  [ToloNews] The Taliban can make a comeback in Kunduz city, the residents of the northeastern province said two days after the Taliban outfits launched a brazen attack on the city with the military analysts describing fresh offensive on the highly-strategic town a show of force by the resurgent movement to influence the negotiations in Doha. The residents called on the Afghan security forces to make sure during their clearance operations that no Taliban insurgent is hiding around the city. This comes as a suicide bombing targeted a unit of Afghan forces on the outskirts of Kunduz city near the main highway which connects Kunduz with other provinces, including Kabul. The attack left at least six security force members dead and 15 others wounded, according to Ministry of Interior Affairs. But the deputy head of Kunduz Provincial Council, Amruddin Wali said the situation remains critical in the northeastern province. “They martyred 10 to 12 security force members only in one check post. The situation in Dasht-e-Archi is also fragile,” Mr. Wali said. “The Air Force arrived in Dasht-e-Archi very quickly and military supplies were delivered there, from air and ground, however, we also had some casualties,” a spokesman to Kunduz governor, Esmatullah Muradi, said. Taliban attacked the city of Kunduz on Thursday, August 29, but were pushed back by Afghan forces after almost 12 hours. The clashes left 56 Taliban fighters dead, according to Ministry of Interior. Moreover, at least 20 security force members and five civilians lost their lives in the clashes. “There are water and electricity, also telecom services are working, but threats remain around Kunduz,” said Munir Mohammadi, a civil society activist. A spokesman for Ministry of Interior, Nusrat Rahimi, assured that proper measures are in place to ensure the security of the province. “Currently, we are undertaking an operation in Imam Sahib district. The plan is to break the enemy’s strength so that it cannot launch an attack on the city once again,” Mr. Rahimi said. 14 Taliban militants in Kunduz city and Dasht-e Archi district [KhaamaPress] The security forces killed 14 Taliban militants during the operations in Kunduz city and Dasht-e Archi district of Kunduz province. The military officials said the security forces conduced an airstrike in Dasht-e Archi district which killed 12 Taliban militants. The officials further added that the airstrikes also destroyed a small cache of weapons. Furthermore, the officials said the Afghan Special Forces killed 2 Taliban militants during a patrol in Kunduz city. The Taliban militants attacked Kunduz city in the early hours of Saturday morning which the security forces repulsed. Meanwhile, Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said the security forces conducted clearance operations in every street of Kunduz city to ensure no militant is left Posted by: trailing wife 2019-09-03 |
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