At least 22 Afghan police have been reported killed today in an “intense” gunbattle with Taliban fighters in the Nangarhar Province. The attack started with a militant ambush after the police operation to rescue a captured politician.
The police report said that 16 Taliban were killed in the initial operation, and 60 others were slain in the battle that followed the ambush. The Taiban are disputing that toll, claiming only five were lost in the battle.
It’s not unusual for both the Taliban and the Afghan officials to issue starkly different reports on clashes, and its rarely ever clear which, if either, offers a more accurate death toll.
The clash occurred in the Sherzad District, which is the same place that the US killed five police in an attack on a police checkpoint just two days ago. It is unclear if the two incidents are related at all.