Taliban fighters during “Operation al-Khandagh”
On July 13, Taliban fighters captured a military base and a checkpoint of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) in the district of Shindand in the western province of Herat following a rapid ground attack, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad.
The Taliban claimed that its fighters killed 18 personnel of the ANA and the ANP during the attack. Several heavy and light weapons were also captured by the fighters of the Afghan movement.
In the southern province of Helmand, Taliban fighters captured three checkpoints in the area of Tangano Zabar in the district of Nawa following heavy clashes with the ANA and the ANP. The Voice of Jihad reported that Taliban fighters killed 9 personnel of the ANA during the clashes, including an officer named “Habibullah.”
According to the Taliban, the two attacks in Herat and Helmand are a part of its spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh”, which was launched on April 25, in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US military presence in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has stepped up its military operations against the ANA and the ANP in the southern and western parts of the country since the end of the Eid ceasefire last month. The ceasefire was likely a chance for the Afghan group to reorganize and rearm its fighters.
