Taliban’s second attack on Badghis capital pushed back

Badghis provincial capital, Qala-e-Naw, was the scene of heavy clashes Thursday between the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the Taliban, local sources told Ariana News.

Provincial officials meanwhile said that security forces were able to push back the Taliban and keep them from entering the city.

This comes after Taliban on Wednesday launched their offensive on Qala-e-Naw city and broke through the prison gate, freeing prisoners.

On Thursday, residents said all shops were closed in the city due to the clashes, but after pushing back the Taliban, ANDSF officials said the situation had returned to normal.

The ANDSF added that Taliban suffered heavy casualties during the clashes.

Meanwhile a source told Ariana News that the Taliban have seized four districts in two provinces in the country in the past 24 hours.

According to the source, Kohsan, Shindand, and Pashtun Zarghun districts in Herat along with Shahr-e-Safa in Zabul province fell to the Taliban.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that clashes in 17 provinces of the country are ongoing between ANDSF and Taliban.