Afghan DM Reports 26 Taliban Killed in NW Farah Province

Afghan Air Force backed the ground raid

The Afghan Defense Ministry has issued a statement reporting that 26 Taliban were killed on Thursday in the Farah Province. The fighting was reported to have taken place in Balabolock District, where the Taliban recently hit checkpoints.

The Defense Ministry credited the Afghan Air Force for supporting the operation, and statements claimed 10 Taliban were killed in airstrikes. This appears to be part of the 26 reported slain overall.

Whether 26 were actually killed has yet to be confirmed, as the defense ministry often issues high death tolls, and are often disputed by local and provincial officials in the days that follow.

The Taliban is active across Afghanistan, but Farah Province is not generally a huge site of conflict, and most of the Afghan military’s focus on anti-Taliban operations is further south, in Helmand and Kandahar Province.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.