KABUL
Eight Taliban militants and five Afghan police officers were killed overnight after groups of local and foreign Taliban fighters stormed police outposts Afghanistan’s northern Samangan province late Saturday, the provincial governor has said.
Khairullah Anosh told Anadolu Agency on the phone Sunday that the attack has been successfully pushed back, while confirming the deaths.
“A group of insurgents ambushed Posta-e-Khaki outposts at 10 p.m. (1830GMT) which is located between provincial capital, Aybak and Darah Sof district,” Anosh said.
He added that the clashes lasted till 2 a.m. Sunday night and at least eight Taliban militants were killed and nine others were wounded when Afghan police fought back.
Meanwhile, Taliban militant group spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, “The outpost was captured by Mujahidin and six policemen were killed.”
Samangan, a relatively peaceful province in northern Afghanistan, has seen fierce violence in recent months. Darah Sof district is famous for its coal mines and it has been attractive for local armed groups and Taliban as a source of income.
According to Anosh, at least 100 insurgents including domestic Taliban and Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks have flooded from neighboring provinces into Samangan.
“Based on our intelligence reports, Taliban insurgents are gathered aiming to occupy the district, but our security forces are able to fight back,” Anosh added.
Taliban militants have intensified their attacks in city centers and on Afghan security forces’ outposts as part of their spring offensive which kicked off in April.
In 2015, Afghanistan has seen unprecedented violence. The Afghan Ministry of Defense terms it Taliban’s attempt to gain greater leverage in peace talks with the Afghan government expected to resume this summer.
