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2021-05-05 Afghanistan
Taliban launches major Afghan offensive after deadline for U.S. pullout
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Afghan cops fought back a major Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
offensive in southern Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province in the last 24 hours, officials and residents said on Tuesday, as Lions of Islam launched assaults around the country after a missed U.S. deadline to withdraw troops.

"There was a thunderstorm of heavy weapons and blasts in the city and the sound of small arms was like someone was making popcorn," Mulah Jan, a resident of a suburb of the Helmand picturesque provincial capital Lashkar Gah, told Rooters.

Attaullah Afghan, the head of Helmand's provincial council, said the Taliban had launched their offensive on Monday from multiple directions, attacking checkpoints around the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, taking over some of them.

Afghan cops had carried out air strikes and deployed elite commando forces to the area. The holy warriors had been pushed back but fighting was continuing on Tuesday and hundreds of families had been displaced, he added.

A Taliban surge in Helmand would have particular resonance, as the opium-growing desert province was where U.S. and British forces suffered the bulk of their losses during the 20-year war.

As part of the pullout, U.S. forces handed over a base in Helmand to Afghan government troops two days ago.

In Washington, the U.S. military said that about two to six percent of the withdrawal process had been completed so far. United States Central Command said that the equivalent of about 60 C-17 aircraft worth of material had been moved out of Afghanistan and more than 1,300 pieces of equipment had been handed over to be destroyed.

The Afghan defence ministry said that in addition to Helmand, security forces have been responding to attacks by the Taliban in at least six other provinces, including southeastern Ghazni and southern Kandahar in the past 24 hours.

The defence ministry said just over 100 Taliban fighters had been killed in Helmand. It did not provide details on casualties among Afghan cops. The Taliban did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Khaama Press adds:
Afghan Ministry of Defense stated Monday, that 106 Taliban militants including 8 of their key commanders were killed in Nawa, Nahre Saraj, and Garamsir districts and outskirts of Lashkargah in Helmand province over the past 24 hours.

Ministry of Defense (MoD) said during the clearance and reciprocal operations, 37 other Taliban fighters were also wounded in the region.

MoD added ANDSF also destroyed a large amount of Taliban weapons and ammunition during the battle.

Security sources on the other hand in Helmand province claimed that at least 110 Taliban were killed in the embattled Helmand province.

The Ministry of Defense also announced that “Malawi Keramat”, a Taliban commander and the group’s military commission chief for Washir District was killed during an ANDSF operation in the outskirts of Lashkar Gah city, the capital of Helmand province.

MoD stated that heavy casualties have been inflicted on the Taliban militants in the region, who NSA Hamdullah Mohib described as “ISI PUPPETS”.

A large amount of the Taliban weapons and ammunition were also seized during the ANDSF operations.

Meanwhile, the Military’s Special Operations Corps says 15 Taliban fighters were killed in an operation conducted by the Afghan special forces in Zabul province.

According to the statement, the 2nd commando battalion of the 4th southern brigade targeted a group of Taliban militants in the Cheshmeh Kakran area of Zabul province on Monday night.

In another security incident Nine ANDSF members were killed in a Taliban offensive on Monday night. The clashes between the Taliban and the government forces took place in Jar Khoshk Area in Baghlan-E-Markazi of Baghlan province.

According to reports 16 other security force members were taken hostage by the Taliban fighters. The clashes in the region reportedly continued until early Tuesday morning.

Taliban took responsibility for the attack, but security officials have not yet commented on the incident. Taliban claimed that 25 security force members were killed during the skirmish.

Media outlets reported that within 24 hours 20 ANDSF members were killed in Farah, four in Farah, eight in Badakhshan, and five in Herat province.

At least 19 civilians including security force members were killed and 22 others were wounded in Kabul, Herat, Badakhshan, Logar, Nangarhar, Baghlan, and Helmand provinces.

A total of 164 small and large attacks were carried out by the Taliban in the past 24 hours.

Earlier, the ministry of Defense tweeted:

In another incident on Sunday afternoon, unidentified armed men gunned down two security personnel and a policeman in PD1 of Kabul city. The police man was killed while pursuing the gunmen, who fled the area. The incident is under investigation, no group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack.
Posted by Fred 2021-05-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ]  Top
 File under: Taliban 

#1 who cares
Posted by Chris 2021-05-05 08:36||   2021-05-05 08:36|| Front Page Top

#2 This isn't some kind of extraordinary activity. It's a reversion to the mean.
Posted by Knuckles Slererong5344 2021-05-05 11:56||   2021-05-05 11:56|| Front Page Top

#3 "They advance, we retreat. They retreat, we pursue."
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2021-05-05 12:00||   2021-05-05 12:00|| Front Page Top










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