Major Taliban Offensive in Afghanistan’s Badghis Province, Over 30 Police Killed

Taliban forces carried out a massive offensive against the Badghis Province in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, starting a pre-dawn push that led to them overrunning several military and police checkpoints and outposts across key districts, killing at least 30 police and other security forces.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters were involved in the attack, centering in Bala Murghab District, and according to officials they’ve seized every single outpost in the area. Officials warn the district will fall outright without reinforcements.

So far there is no sign of any reinforcements being deployed, though fighting is ongoing. The Afghan air force reported that they’d carried out some airstrikes, inflicting unspecified casualties on the Taliban forces.

Taliban forces seem to be able to make gains wherever they want to in Afghanistan lately, sending large numbers of fighters and overrunning the defensive garrisons. Though the Afghan military has some reinforcements to send, they often don’t even use them, except to try to hold the most important territory, and have been letting the Taliban continue to amass territory.