Kunduz, September 16: At least nine Taliban insurgents were killed in fighting with Afghan police and German forces in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, officials said Wednesday.
Taliban militants on Wednesday attacked a convoy of NATO-led German troops in the Ali Abad district and suffered four casualties, said Mohammad Omar, the provincial governor.
A German soldier was wounded in the attack, Habibullah Muhtashim, the district administrative chief, said.
But Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said their forces destroyed two German military vehicles and killed all the occupants.
Meanwhile, nine Taliban militants were killed Tuesday night after they attacked police posts in Kunduz’s Emamsaheb district, Omar said.
Abdul Razaq Yaqoubi, the provincial police chief, said three police officers were injured in the clash, which lasted several hours, while Mahlem Juma Khan, the district governor said two bodies of the Taliban were left behind on the battlefield.
Northern Afghanistan, which used to be relatively peaceful until about 18 months ago, has seen an increase in Taliban activity. The militants seem to have expanded their battleground from southern and eastern Afghanistan, where they are most active.
The atmosphere is highly charged in Kunduz province after a German military-approved airstrike struck two Taliban-hijacked fuel trucks at the beginning of this month.
An Afghan government investigation found that 30 civilians and nearly 70 armed and unarmed Taliban militants were killed in the airstrike. The raid sparked anger both in the province and in Germany, where the role of German forces in Afghanistan is becoming increasing unpopular.
Around 4,000 German soldiers are stationed in Afghanistan as part of more than 100,000 international troops deployed from 42 nations.
—-Agencies