Taliban Special Forces. Illustrative image
On May 2, Taliban fighters ambushed a unit of the Afghan Police in the Shah Wali Kot district of the southern province of Kandahar, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad.
The Voice of Jihad said that Taliban fighters had killed 8 Afghan policemen and had destroyed two armored vehicles of the Afghan security forces.
The Voice of Jihad said that the ambush is a part of the Taliban’s spring offensive known as “Operation al-Khandagh.” The offensive was launched on April 25 in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US presence in Afghanistan.
In a related development, the Taliban said that its fighters had clashed with the Afghan Army and Police in Mohammad Agha district and Pol-e-Alam of the eastern Logar province. Taliban fighters killed nine Afghan Army soldiers and destroyed three armored vehicles during the clashes, according to the Voice of Jihad.
The increased number of attacks by the Taliban has not shifted the areas controlled by the competing sides in the war-torn country, according to Afghan sources. However, observers believe that the situation could change soon if the Afghan Army does not take stronger measures to deal with the growing Taliban influence.
