At least 20 insurgents killed in Nuristan attack
Sat Jun 30, 11:09 am
Taliban militants, security forces and civilians clashed for 13 hours in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan early Friday morning. After the battle was over, more than 20 insurgents had been killed, according to local officials. Also killed were 6 members of the ASF and 5 female civilians.
The heavy clashes occurred early Friday morning when Taliban militants, including Pakistani Taliban, stormed Kamdesh district and attacked several places with RPG’s and automatic weapons, according to Governor Spokesman Muhammad Zarin.
The conflict began after midnight Friday morning and lasted until the early afternoon. 20 Taliban fighters and 6 Afghan forces died of their wounds, and 3 other Afghan soldiers were wounded. It is not know how many insurgents were wounded during the fight.
Militants were laced with heavy guns, while the Afghan forces were supported aerially by ISAF forces, Zarin said.
Zarin stated that during the attacks, Taliban guerillas targeted many homes in Pirok and Binoz villages with missile fire. As a result of the RPG attacks 5 women were killed and nearly 20 other civilians, including women and children, were injured.
According to Zarin, the surviving Taliban fighters fled the area and search operations were underway by ISAF and Afghan Commando forces to bring the insurgents to justice.
According to Muhammad Idrees Muhmand, Head of Press Office of Border Police in eastern Afghanistan, at least 25 Taliban militants including the commander, Maulvi Abbas, were killed during hours-long clashes. Muhmand added the Taliban fighters also killed the wife and son of a police officer, and set the home of Kamdesh district governor on fire.
The Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said that his fighters had attacked 9 security shells and killed 15 Afghan forces. The statement also denied the presence of Pakistani Taliban fighters among the Afghan Taliban. He claimed that only two Taliban fighters were killed during the clashes.
The Taliban have been known to understate casualties of insurgent fighters.
Kamdesh is one of Nuristan’s least secure frontier districts and adjoins Pakistan. Large swaths of the province remain under Taliban control, with Afghan security forces dominating only the center of the district.
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