KABUL – *As battles raged across the country this week, both the Afghansecurity forces and the Taliban sustained heavy casualty tolls in threeprovinces – Farah, Ghazni and Kunduz – on Wednesday evening*, TOLO News hasreported.
These battles came just hours before NATO allies extended their funding ofthe Afghan security forces through to 2024.
In one battle in Kunduz province, in the north of Afghanistan, 15 AfghanNational Army (ANA) soldiers were killed while the Taliban also lost manyfighters.
Officials say about 50 Taliban fighters were killed and wounded in theclash.
Meanwhile, sources from Farah said 10 police force members were killed and10 others were missing after a clash with the Taliban. However, theMinistry of Interior has not commented this report.
“Farah province will soon fall to militants if government does not payattention to it and does not send reinforcements with air support,” saidEsmat Qane, a member of Farah Provincial Council.
Footage of government forces killed in Kunduz has been made public andshows the bodies of 15 soldiers. However, sources from Kunduz said theyhave seen videos which show the bodies of more than 40 soldiers. They saidthe bodies had been taken to Takhar provincial hospital.
“More than 30 soldiers have been martyred and 10 others wounded,” saidMohammad Yusuf Ayubi, head of the Kunduz Provincial Council.
“Some Army soldiers are also missing. The situation is critical here (inKunduz),” said Amruddin Sharifi, a member of the Kunduz Provincial Council.
Government forces said three outposts fell to militants in Kunduz onWednesday night but that they were retaken by army and police personnel.
“Aircrafts arrived with more troops to defend the forces on the ground,”Kunduz governor’s spokesman Nematullah Temori said.
Meanwhile, Ghazni officials said heavy fighting between government forcesand the Taliban broke out in the province on Wednesday night.
The Defense Ministry meanwhile said 24 Taliban militants were killed and 17others wounded including Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, a former minister of
Taliban and incumbent member of the Quetta Shura.
The Ministry of Defense says Muttaqi, a former Taliban minister, waswounded in an airstrike that targeted a gathering of Taliban leaders inGhazni province.
The ministry said in a statement that the Afghan Army’s Air Force targetedthe gathering in Langai village in Nawa district in Ghazni.
The airstrike was carried out based on intelligence that had been gathered,the statement added.
The MoD said Muttaqi, Mullah Khalifa and Mullah Shah Mohammad, both membersof the Quetta Shura; Mullah Yusuf, Taliban’s designated shadow governor forGhazni; and Mullah Sayed Almas, Taliban’s designated shadow governor forPaktia, were present at the gathering.
Muttaqi was born in Shin Kalai village, in Zurmat district, in Paktiaprovince and is thought to be currently living in Pakistan. He was theTaliban representative in UN-led talks under the Taliban regime.
Taliban has rejected the claim of him having been wounded.
These clashes come as Afghan government ramps up efforts to find a peacefulsolution to the Afghan conflict.
On Wednesday, an international summit of religious scholars wrapped up inSaudi Arabia. The summit focused on the Afghanistan situation and in adeclaration, issued after the summit, delegates declared the war asforbidden in Islam and in turn called on the Taliban to renounce violenceand join the peace process.