Afghan forces kill 99 Taliban militants in 48 hours

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghan security forces killed nearly 100 Taliban insurgents during the past 48 hours in northern Badghes province bordering Turkmenistan, a statement said on Monday.

According to the statement by the Ministry of Defense, special forces, police, spy agency NDS, and the Afghan Air Force launched the offensive in restive parts of Badghis on Monday.

“As a result, 99 Taliban terrorists were killed and 35 were wounded and ‘tactical vehicles’, large amount of weapons and ammunition were seized or destroyed in the area”, it added.

Over the course of past two weeks, local officials told Anadolu Agency the Taliban insurgents staged multiple coordinated assaults on Bala Murghab and Ab Kamari districts that left dozens of security forces killed and government installations torched.

The ministry has only confirmed the killing of 12 security forces and injuring of 34 others.

However, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed has claimed the insurgents overran Ab Kamari and inflicted heavy toll on the Afghan security forces in Bala Murghab.

This came as the Afghan government has announced to attend the forthcoming round of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban in Qatari capital, Doha, later this month.