Taliban blow up bridges, close off a road between Nangarhar and Kabul

Taliban fighters attacked a security checkpoint in Fatehabad area of Sorkh Rud district of Nangarhar province on Thursday morning and have blocked access for motorists along a road that leads to Kabul.

Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar, said the Taliban had blown up three bridges on a secondary road between Kabul and Jalalabad, and have closed it to motorists.

Sayed Rahman, the police chief of Surkh Rud district, said the Afghan security forces were too much for the Taliban to handle and because of this the militants started blowing up bridges.

Meanwhile, Nangarhar governor Ziaulhaq Amarkhail says that Afghan forces in the Gandmak area of Sherzad district of Nangarhar province repulsed a Taliban attack last night, killing 36 Taliban insurgents, including foreign nationals and their leaders, and wounding 52 others.

Two security forces also lost their lives in the clash, Amarkhail added.

The Taliban have not yet commented.