14 October 2018•Update: 15 October 2018
By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
At least 20 Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 more wounded in a Taliban assault on two military check posts in the western Farah province bordering Iran, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Haji Ghausuddin, governor of the Pusht Rod district, informed Anadolu Agency that the Taliban stormed the check post late Saturday night, and the clashes continued till early Sunday. He said the rebels killed 20 soldiers, took away more than 10 soldiers as captives and confiscated arms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, Muhibullah Muhib, spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, has only confirmed the killing of 10 soldiers. He added that five rebels were also killed in the attack, including their commander Hafiz Saeed. He added the Special Forces had reached the area to liberate five captive soldiers.
The Taliban spokesman, Qari Ahmadi, has claimed responsibility for the attack claiming to have killed 21 soldiers and abducting 12 more. In a statement, he claimed no Taliban fighters were harmed is the second attack of the sort in the district. Last month, eight soldiers were killed in a Taliban assault here.
Local officials in Farah have long been blaming Iran for backing the rebels in the area, a claim rejected by Tehran the southern Zabul province, the local Tolo News reported the police chief of Meezan district was killed in a Taliban attack on Saturday night.
This comes a day after the Taliban acknowledged a direct meeting for proposed peace talks with Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, in Doha, Qatar earlier this week.
