Afghan forces say Taliban being driven out of western city

 

Officials say Afghan troops have retaken government buildings in a western city attacked by the Taliban.

The Taliban stormed Qala-e-Naw on Wednesday, the first frontal attack on a province capital since the US withdrew its last troops.

To push the fighters back, air attacks and special troops were used.

According to Reuters, special forces commander Sayed Nezami said, “The enemy suffered heavy casualties, and now we are advancing and forcing the enemy out.”

According to a report by the Khaama Press News Agency, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Affairs stated the city had been cleared of Taliban fighters and was now fully under the control of Afghan security forces.

The provincial governor was also quoted by Tolo as saying that the Taliban had been “pushed back from numerous parts of the city.”

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have withdrawn ahead of a deadline set for September 11, leaving the Afghan military in complete control of national security.

Taliban fighters briefly entered Qala-e-Naw, Badghis province, on Wednesday.

According to local sources, militants gained access to the city’s prison and released approximately 400 inmates, including over 100 of their own fighters. The Afghan guards at the prison were said to have surrendered without a fight.

Provincial Governor Hisamudin Shams said at the time that the intelligence service’s headquarters had been set on fire.

He, on the other hand, disputed that the city had fallen to the Taliban and claimed that Afghan forces were defending it. Militants attacked the city from three directions in the morning, according to the governor.

He, on the other hand, disputed that the city had fallen to the Taliban and said that Afghan forces were defending it. Militants attacked the city from three directions in the morning, according to the governor.