Nine employees of the Afghan security forces were killed, eight were injured in clashes with militants of the radical Taliban movement in northeastern Afghanistan, Tolo News reported citing local authorities.
The Taliban attacked Nusai County in the north-eastern province of Badakhshan early on Saturday morning and opened fire on security forces. Clashes between the military and the militants are continuing on Sunday.
“At least nine members of the security forces were killed and eight injured in the ambush of the Taliban”, – the channel quoted unnamed officials as saying.
Officials also said that now the militants are close to the county’s government complex. If reinforcements do not arrive at the scene of the clashes, they said, “the county may fall into the hands of the Taliban”.
The Taliban, in turn, claimed responsibility for the attack.
In Afghanistan, there is a confrontation between government forces and the militants of the radical Taliban movement, which had previously captured a significant territory in rural areas of the country and launched an attack on large cities. The influence of the Islamic State terrorist group* has intensified throughout the country. Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are conducting joint counter-terrorism operations across the country.
* – Terrorist organization banned in Russia.