The Ministry of Defense in a released statement on Saturday says as a result of heavy Afghan National Defense and Security forces retaliations the Taliban militants have suffered unprecedented casualties in the past 24 hours across Afghanistan.
MoD in a recent tweet said 250 militants and insurgents were killed and further 106 others were wounded across Afghanistan.
The ministry further added, ANDSF also discovered and neutralized 29 various types of landmines and IEDs placed to target civilians and security force members in the regions.
Afghan Military’s commando forces have stationed the Dahan-e-Ghori district in northern Baghlan province as fierce battles continue in the region.
Security sources told media that Afghan commando reinforcements were deployed and three outposts fallen to the Taliban were recaptured.
At least 10 security force members were rescued in the commando operations, reports indicate.
Afghan commandos in a joint operation with the Afghan army’ 209th Shaheen Corps were deployed to the area and that routs to Pul-e-Khumri city the center of Baghlan province were reopened.
According to sources Taliban have suffered heavy casualties, but details were not provided on its exact figure.
Reports indicate that the Taliban also attacked Nahrin district in Baghlan province on Friday night, but the attacks were rebuffed by the Afghan National Defense and Security forces.
On Friday, Afghan military’s commando units have launched air and ground offensives on the Taliban in Baghlan-e-Markazi in Baghlan province.
According to security sources, at least 27 Taliban militants were so far killed in the Baghlan operations.
Security sources in the region told the media that the Taliban are under commandos’ siege.
Reports indicate the Afghan military including commandos have launched attacks on Taliban bases in several other provinces in Afghanistan.
This comes as the Ministry of Defense denied Taliban claims of ‘surrendered 200 Afghan troops’ in Baghlan-e-Markazi, and added that 17 Taliban were killed during the operations.
Moreover, local sources in Samangan province said that three security force members were killed in a Taliban attack in the Dara-e-Suf Bala district of the province.
Sultan Ali Sultan, district governor of Dara-e-Suf Bala told media on Saturday that the incident took place on Friday night in Kotal Qala area of the district.
Sultan added that following the Taliban attack from three positions on a security outpost, two policemen and a public uprising force member were killed in the area.
In the meantime, Security sources told the media that ANDSF has abandoned a military base and three outposts in the Alingar district of Laghman province on Friday.
The base and outposts were abandoned following the Taliban offensive, the militant group also claimed that they have captured 14 members of the Afghan forces and seized a number of weapons and ammunition.
Reports from the latest waves of skirmishes indicate that the Taliban overran security outposts in Arezo village on the outskirts of Ghazni city, at least 16 security force members were killed and three others were injured during the battle.
In Maidan Wardak province, three Taliban infiltrators opened fire and killed 10 soldiers before they escaped to Taliban controlled area, looting military weapons with them.
According to MoD ANDSF has given major blows to the Taliban in the recent string of battle incidents.
Rohullah Ahmadzai, a spokesman for the Ministry of defense said, the Taliban have faced heavy casualties in Helmand, Baghlan, Ghazni, Maidan Wardak, ANDSF has crushed “terrorists” with more strength than ever before.
The spokesman added that ANDSF raided a high-profile Taliban gathering in the Bolan area on the outskirts of Lashkargah city and killed a key Taliban commander.
According to Ahmadzai, Taliban’s shadow governors were also wounded during the operation.
On the other hand, in Ghazni province, at least six government defense force members were killed after the Taliban stormed a security outpost in Arezo village of Ghazni province, and three others were injured.
Subsequently, 12 others were taken hostage, and eight soldiers surrendered in a second outpost without any resistance, reports indicated.
The battles should be taken from centers to districts and to remote areas rather than evacuating outposts or districts and stations at the center, Khan Agha Rezaee, head of parliament’s internal security commission told local media.
At least 23 Taliban fighters were killed and 27 others were injured following an Afghan Air Force operation that targeted a gathering of Taliban commanders in the Bala Buluk district of Farah province.
The airstrikes were carried on Friday in Shewan village of the district.
Taliban claimed that they fired several rockets on a security base in the area following the attack.
Dadullah Qane, head of Farah provincial council said the Taliban militants have proved their dark face, and also massacred captured hostages.
Earlier, the Taliban has captured the second-biggest dam “Dahla Dam” in Afghanistan following months of fierce and heavy battle in Kandahar official told media.
The Dahla Dam which supports irrigating farming lands and provides drinking water for the provincial capital fell to the Taliban on Thursday, AFP reported.
Qari Yousuf, a Taliban spokesman while talking to AFP said, “We have seized the Dahla Dam in Arghandab”.
Haji Gulbuddin, governor of Arghandab district also confirmed to AFP that the dam is currently under the control of the Taliban militants.
“Our security forces … asked for reinforcements but they failed to get it,” Gulbuddin said.
Taliban also warned the Dahla dam workers not to go to work.
In the previous month, militants blew a bridge that connected the dam to adjacent districts, the dam provides irrigating and drinking water to about seven districts of Kandahar, AFP reported.
A grand of nearly $350 million was approved by the Asian Development Bank to expand the reservoir-style project in 2019.
Before falling to the Taliban intense battles were ongoing in the surroundings of the dam for the past six months, Taliban before retreating planted explosives across the area including residential complexes closes to the reservoir.
Despite peace efforts, violence across Afghanistan has raged wherein many civilians suffered losses, and fears raised as the US and NATO confirmed withdrawing their troops.
