Alwaght- At least 24 Afghan soldiers and members of the special forces have been killed in clashes with the Taliban militant group in the western province of Farah, local officials said on Saturday.
Taliban fighters attacked troops assembled to prepare an attack in Bala Buluk district in the night, setting off a fierce battle, officials said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said four members of the special forces had been killed and a number wounded, but the head of the local provincial council, Farid Bakhtawar, said the death toll had reached at least 18.
As the fighting went on, an air strike was called in and killed around 25 insurgents, he said.
In a message posted on Twitter, a Taliban spokesman claimed that 53 commandos had been killed or wounded after arriving in Tapa Sadat, close to the Bala Buluk district center, and a sizeable quantity of weapons seized.
Insecurity has increased in Farah province in recent months. Last month, more than 10 national army personnel were killed in a Taliban attack on a military base.
Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the US and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. US-led forces continue to occupy the country amid an upsurge of terrorist attacks by ISIS and Taliban groups and an unprecedented increase on narcotics production.
