...Arabic for students...
fighters have fled from the Khenjan district in northern Baghlan province after the Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSFD) launched a comprehensive military operation, MOD said.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Defense, the Taliban fighters have evacuated the Khenjan district after receiving heavy casualties as a result of Afghan forces operation.
Taliban fighters had seized Khenjan district on Wednesday evening. Another district, Tala-o-Barfak also fell in the hands of Taliban on Thursday.
This comes as the Taliban has launched its spring offensive with more focus on North of Afghanistan, launching operations on Balkh, Sar-e-Pul
...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone...
, Faryab, Samangan, Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Takhar provinces.
As violence rose in the north, Afghan traditional leaders and local commanders form reinforcement forces against the Taliban, wherein many districts women have also been armed to fight back against the Taliban.
Security Forces Confront Taliban Offensives in Baghlan
[ToloNews] Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
offensives in Pul-e-Khumri city in Baghlan to break the defensive fronts but they faced strong response by Afghan commandos and police special forces and their attacks were pushed back; however, pressure remains on the capital city.
The security forces assured that they will prevent the Taliban from entering Pul-e-Khumri.
Heavy festivities have been underway on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri city for the last five days. But security forces have managed to prevent the group from entering the capital city. Pul-e-Khumri city witnessed intense festivities between security forces and the Taliban on Thursday night. Trapped civilians on both sides of the battlefield spent a night full of panic.
"Taliban had launched offensives in Block Ha and Band-e-Dowom areas. They fled when we arrived on the battlefield," said Sediqullah, a commander of commando in the northeast zone.
"Clashes are underway. We struck the enemy strongly," said Payenda, a commander of the 888 Police Special Unit.
Baghlan residents are backing Afghan cops by taking arms and fighting along with them. They are protecting every street to prevent the Taliban from entering their city.
"We won’t let the enemy achieve its evil ends," a special forces member Basir Tokhtah said.