KABUL – The security institutions have confirmed that fatalities among theAfghan security members have significantly increased during the currentfighting season compared to previous years – as the Taliban expand theirmilitary offensives on multiple fronts across the country.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that currently securityforces are tackling insurgents as part of their preplanned operations in atleast 14 provinces and that additional police and commando forces have beendeployed to the frontline in order to curb the increase in fatalities.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in the lower house of parliament have raised concernsover the seizing of military equipment and ammunition by the Taliban inFarah and Ghazni provinces. However, the ministry of defense has rejectedsuch reports.
“This year the activities of the enemy has increased compared to previousyears. The number of our operations also indicates that this year thenumber of casualties unfortunately has also increased,” said MoI spokesmanNajib Danish
NATO’s Resolute Support (RS) has also said that the Taliban during thecurrent war season are trying to takeover some strategic towns.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the US-led coalitionin Afghanistan, said on Sunday that the Taliban are trying to takeover somestrategic locations.
“They are going to try and we have seen that with the district raids, wesaw that in Farah, but we also see again is that the Afghan forces arecertainly capable of defending those,” he said.
He said that the Taliban do not have the capacity to keep towns anddistricts under their control.
But, MPs from Ghazni and Farah have claimed that the Taliban have gainedaccess to ammunition and weapons belonging to the security forces in thetwo volatile provinces and are fighting government forces with the sameweapons.
“Pur Chaman district is still under the control of Afghanistan’s defenseforces and Afghan police. Its total propaganda like Khandaq operationpropaganda,” said defense ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish.
Sources within the security institutions have said that currently onaverage 50 members of the security forces are being killed and wounded eachday.