8 Soldiers, 20 Taliban Killed as Clashes Continue in Baghlan

Eight members of the Afghan forces were killed in an attack by the Taliban on their outposts in Guzargah-e-Noor district in Baghlan on Friday night, two sources from security agencies in the province said on Saturday.

The Defense Ministry in a statement said that 20 Taliban including Amrullah, the designated district governor of Taliban for the district, were killed in Afghan forces air and ground operations in Guzargah-e-Noor, Julga and Baghlan-e-Jadid districts of Baghlan on Friday night.

Six soldiers were wounded in the attack that started at midnight, the sources said.

Dozens of Taliban fighters went to Guzargah-e-Noor district after they were pushed back from Baghlan-e-Markazi district in the province, the sources said.

The 217 Pamir Corp Commander Abbas Tawakuli said that six Taliban, including their key commander, were killed and seven more were wounded in the clashes.

He said that the Taliban left the area after reinforcements arrived.

The commander said that Afghan forces also suffered casualties in the attack but did not provide exact details.

This comes amidst a sharp increase in violence in the country following a three-day ceasefire from May 13 to May 15.