Taliban take control of another district in Afghanistan

Banned militant outfit the Taliban took control of a district in Ghor province in Afghanistan, after an earlier seize on the same day of a district in the northern part of the country, an official source said.

"After a week of heavy fighting between the security forces and the Taliban, finally this morning Taywara district fell under Taliban control," provincial governor's spokesperson Abdul Hai Khatibi said on Sunday.

The spokesperson, who did not mention the number of casualties, said the Taliban launched a coordinated attack in Taywara forcing the Afghan troops to retreat, Efe news reported.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid in a tweet confirmed the taking of Taywara, where the insurgents allegedly killed 42 soldiers and captured a large amount of weapons, equipment and vehicles.

Earlier in the day, the Taliban captured Kohistan district in the northern Faryab province.

According to the Afghan Defence Ministry, at least 109 militants have died and another 60 wounded in anti-insurgency operations across the country in the last 24 hours.

On April 28, the group led by Mullah Haibatullah launched its annual spring offensive, which for the first time included political objectives as well as military ones, such as the creation of institutions and systems for propaganda in the regions under its control.

Since the end of NATO's combat mission in January 2015, the insurgents have been gaining ground in various parts of Afghanistan and currently control, influence, or are in dispute with the government over at least 43 per cent of the territory, according to the US.

--IANS

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