The milita­nts launch­ed their assaul­t ahead of a widely expect­ed spring offens­iveKABUL: Taliban fighters have killed 12 security forces in the last 48 hours in ongoing fighting in Afghanistan’s western province of Badghis, the defence ministry said Monday. In the latest assault on Afghan forces — who have faced devastating losses in recent years — Taliban fighters last week smashed through government lines near the city of Bala Murghab, seizing several checkpoints. Clearance operations continue in the district, officials said, and security forces helped Red Cross workers evacuate the bodies of Taliban fighters that had been left on battlefields. The Taliban said they had conducted a coordinated attack on a series of government checkpoints, killing 12 security forces. In January, President Ashraf Ghani said 45,000 security forces had been killed since he took office in September 2014.

Source: The Express Tribune April 08, 2019 09:45 UTC