A flurry of Taliban offensives against targets across northern
Afghanistan have devastated Afghan security forces in several districts,
killing at least 27, and wounding dozens of others. Several sites were
overrun.
The deadliest attacks were in the Sar-e Pul Province, where provincial
officials reported that 21 of their security forces were killed in a
flurry of attacks along the highway to neighboring Jowzjan Province.
Officials say they believe the Taliban’s goal was to seize the oil wells in Qashqari village.
They did not succeed in that regard, but did substantial damage along
the way. Such coordinated attacks often leave Afghan defenses scattered,
and struggling to reinforce the main target.
Taliban also attacked the Balkh Province, overrunning a security outpost
in Chemtal, killing six police and seizing all the weapons and
equipment within the outpost. These sorts of attack are very common in
Afghanistan, where posts are often remote, easy targets with a lot of
weapons to seize.
Taliban Kill at Least 27 Security Forces in Northern Afghanistan
Coordinated attacks also wounded dozens
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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