A photo of the Taliban special forces with western weapons.
On March 8, Taliban fighters clashed for hours with the Afghan Army and Police in the Pusht Rod district in the western province of Farah, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad. The Taliban’s media wing said that twelve army soldiers had been killed and fourteen others had been injured in the clashes. Three armored vehicles belonging to the army were reportedly destroyed by the Taliban.
Pusht Rod is located north of the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province. It is currently surrendered by Taliban fighters who have captured several key position around the city over the last two months. The recent clashes confirm that the Taliban units around Farah are still capable of defending their positions.
Meanwhile in southern Afghanistan, Taliban fighters captured a police checkpoint in in the Trikh Zabar area of the Marjah district in the province of Helmand. Voice of Jihad said that Taliban fighters had killed eight policemen and had captured one other during their attack on the checkpoint.
Since the beginning of March, the Taliban has stepped up its operations against the army, Police and the NATO in the province of Helmand. As usual, the Taliban’s attacks have been met only with limited airstrikes by the NATO and the Afghan Air Force.
