Afghanistan officials have been hyping up the deaths inflicted on the Taliban recently, with the Interior Ministry issuing a list of 70 names, putatively Taliban commanders who were killed very recently.
There are reasons to doubt all these claims of large death tolls, and the list doesn’t confirm much. The list is broadly single names, like Habibullah, which would be common enough, and if there is anything more, it’s the preface “Mullah” in front of some of the names.
The list claimed 40 of the commanders were killed in Kandahar, while the Interior Ministry also claimed 152 Pakistanis were slain in Helmand Province, distinct from the Taliban fighting.
While the Afghan government is keen to blame the Taliban for all the fighting, they are also eager to emphasize the large number of people they’ve killed, crediting Gen. Yasin Zai for the offensive in the area.
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