Kunduz, September 26: Eighteen Taliban militants were killed in a gun battle with the police after they attacked a district headquarters in northern Afghanistan, the provincial governor said Saturday.
The militants fired rockets and mortars at Dashti Archi district headquarters early Saturday, sparking a seven-hour combat with Afghan police forces, Mohamamd Omar, the provincial governor told DPA.
‘Our police forces killed 18 Taliban, including some of their commanders and wounded 10 others,’ he said, adding that three police officers also sustained injuries.
The militants captured several police posts close to district administrative buildings before they were pushed back by the police, Sheikh Sahdi, the district governor said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said their fighters killed 20 police and completely overran the district centre for four hours before they withdrew to their bases in the province.
The Taliban’s influence is speedily spreading in the relatively peaceful northern region. Until 18 months ago, the militants mainly operated in southern and eastern regions, their main support bases in the country, but sporadically detonated roadside bombs in northern provinces.
The Taliban’s increased presence in the northern region could threaten the new US and NATO military supply line. The international forces in Afghanistan turned to the northern corridor, which delivers supplies from Europe through central Asian countries to Kunduz and Balkh provinces, after the Taliban repeatedly attacked their supply trucks on the two main Pakistani routes.
—-Agencies