Afghanistan: Taliban engage in deadly battle for turf

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Deadly battles for turf between two factions of the Taliban left at least 40 people dead in Afghanistan, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The sporadic clashes that began Monday in the western province of Herat, bordering Iran, continued Tuesday with casualties from both sides, said Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

A breakaway faction of the Taliban led by Mulla Manan Niazi engaged in deadly clashes with the main faction led by Mulla Hebatullah in the Guzara district, Farhad said.

Wakeel Ahmad, a member of the provincial council, told Anadolu Agency that 32 fighters of the Mullah Manan Niazi faction were killed in the exchange of fire, while Mulla Hebatullah faction suffered eight casualties.

On their part, the Taliban claimed to have killed over 30 “pro-government militia fighters” in the restive Guzara district after overrunning a base of the “enemy forces”.

The clashes came as the top U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad announced he would travel to India on Tuesday to further build international consensus in support of the peace process. After three-day talks with the Taliban in Qatar, Khalilzad said “excellent progress” has been made.

“My team&Taliban representatives will continue to discuss technical details as well as steps and mechanisms required for a successful implementation of the four-part agreement we've been working toward since my appointment. Agreement on these details is essential”, he tweeted before departing for India.