MoI reports 261 civilians killed in past 50 days in Taliban attacks

At least 261 civilians have been killed and 602 wounded in Taliban offensives in the past 50 days, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirmed Saturday.

“The Taliban have increased violence in some provinces in recent months. In the past 50 days, the Taliban have conducted close to 2,000 offensives that left 863 civilians killed or wounded,” Tariq Arian, an MoI spokesperson said.

The Afghan security and defense forces stated that the Taliban have also sustained heavy casualties.

The Defense Ministry said a key Taliban commander was killed in an airstrike by the Afghan forces in Helmand province.

According to the ministry, the deputy Taliban military commissioner Mullah Amanullah was killed along with his eight fighters in the Nawa district of Helmand on Friday.

In a reaction to the report, the Taliban blamed airstrikes conducted by the Afghan and the US forces for civilian casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that their attacks are focused on military centers, from where he claimed that the Afghan forces are coordinating operations against the Taliban.