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| Afghanistan |
| Dozens of Afghan troops defect to Taliban in Helmand fighting |
| 2015-11-14 |
| [Rooters] At least 65 Afghan soldiers have defected to the Taliban, taking their weapons and equipment with them and 88 have been killed in days of heavy fighting in the volatile southern province of Helmand, the local provincial Governor said on Saturday. The latest losses underline the heavy toll being exacted on Afghan security forces, now fighting largely alone since international troops ended most combat operations last year. Police and soldiers have been engaged in near-continuous combat with insurgents for the past three weeks in the districts of Lashkar Gah, Marjah and Nadali in Helmand, one of the Islamist movement's traditional strongholds. Although they have so far repelled Taliban efforts to take the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, they have not been able to push back the insurgents decisively from areas around the city. "Soldiers from an Afghan army brigade in Station area have joined the Taliban with their equipment and weapons," Helmand Governor Mirza Khan Rahimi said. He said a team had been sent to the town of Sangin to investigate the incident. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #1 As kids, we used to do this all the time with pickup football games in the back yard. It keeps the teams balanced and it's not like anyone has a real loyalty to a particular side. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2015-11-14 13:17 |