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On May 16, the Afghan Army and Police repelled an attack by the Taliban on the city of Farah, the capital of the western Farah province, according to the Afghan TOLO TV.
Governor of Farah Abdul Basir Salangi said that more than 2,000 fighters of the Taliban had participated in the failed attack, which began only a day earlier.
“First 1,000 Taliban insurgents attacked Farah districts on Tuesday and after the first attack over 1,000 other insurgents also joined the attack,” Salangi said, according to TOLO.
Salangi also revealed that the Taliban lost 300 of its fighters during the clashes around the city of Farah on May 15 and 16. Regarding the loses of the Afghan Army and Police, Salangi said that 5 soldiers, 10 policemen and 5 civilians were killed in the Taliban attack.
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Meanwhile, the NATO mission in Afghanistan “Resolute Support” confirmed that the Afghan Army had repelled the Taliban attack and had secured the outskirts of the city. Moreover, the US military in Afghanistan announced that its MQ-9 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and A-10 attack aircraft had carried out several airstrikes against Taliban fighters around Farah in support of the Afghan Army.
The Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad claimed on May 15 that Taliban fighters had captured several positions inside Farah city including the headquarter of the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) after killing and injuring dozens of Afghan soldiers.
According to Afghan sources, several positions in the districts of Shir Koh, Pesht Koh and Regi area around Farah city are still under the control of the Taliban. Due to this, a second attack on the city is highly expected.
