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Afghanistan

Maidan Wardak: 'Tactical Retreat' Preceded Fall of Nerkh District

2021-05-13

[ToloNews] Following reports about the fall of Nerkh district

...alternately spelt Nirkh ...

of Maidan Wardak province to the Taliban
Taliban

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
, Afghan security officials said that the security forces made a "tactical retreat" from the district.

Maidan Wardak's governor said that the security forces retreated from the district as part of a "conspiracy," without further elaborating. He said the district is currently under Taliban control.

However,
facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable...
the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) has rejected any kind of "conspiracy" and said that reinforcements have been sent to recapture the district from the Taliban.

"Regrettably, the Taliban took over the district last night because of a conspiracy, the security forces then made a tactical retreat, the district building has sustained damages," said Abdul Rahman Tariq, the governor of Maidan Wardak.

The Taliban meanwhile released footage and claimed that their fighters have taken Nerkh from the government forces.

The Taliban also claimed to have killed many soldiers and taken dozens more hostage.

"Unfortunately, the situation is not stable even in the city, if this situation continues we will face a tragedy," said MP Abdul Rahman Wardak.

Nerkh district is only 30 kilometers away from Kabul.

"If the security forces do not capture the district, Sayedabad district will also face serious threats," said Amir Mohammad Malikzai, the district governor of Sayedabad.

"The landmines planted along the way by the enemy and their use of civilian's homes slowed our operations," said Rohullah Ahmadzai, a front man for the Ministry of Defense.

"(Losing) a district is a big issue, even if a check post falls for a day, then we will have a very serious situation in the next two or three months and it will be very difficult to compensate it," said MP Karim Atal.

Over the past two weeks, violence has significantly increased in Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, Farah, Badghis, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
, Kandahar, Zabul, Pashtun-infested Logar, Balkh, Kunduz, Baghlan and Maidan Wardak provinces.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Tuesday that 15 suicide kabooms and dozens of other attacks have been carried out "by the Taliban" since the start of Ramadan on April 13.

The ministry said that 500 more civilians were maimed in the attacks during this period.

The Interior Ministry said that the Taliban were responsible for 200 blasts and 15 suicide kabooms during Ramadan.

The Taliban has denied the government’s claims that the group has a big hand in civilian deaths.

The first day of Ramadan on April 13 witnessed festivities between Afghan cops and the Taliban, in which eight non-combatants were killed and 21 more were maimed.

Khaama Press adds:

According to MoI the defense forces retreated after inflicting heavy casualties on the Taliban fighters.

Meanwhile, the Taliban said they had seized the district compound, the district police headquarters, district’s intelligence department, and an army base.

In addition to inflicting heavy casualties to the government forces, many other security force members were captured and all their equipment was seized by the Taliban, a Taliban front man told media.

Officials told media, that Taliban also set district’s compound on fire.

Posted by:trailing wife

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