HERAT, Afghanistan – Taliban fighters emerged from hiding in the dead ofnight to launch attacks in the Afghan city of Farah, battling governmentforces who thought they had cleared out the insurgents following heavyclashes earlier in the week, residents and officials said.
The heavily armed fighters had gone to ground in residential areasfollowing their surprise attack on Tuesday, when they nearly overran Farah,before Afghan troops backed by U.S. air power fought them off.
“From one side, there were Taliban and from the other side, war planesfiring from the air. People were terrified,” said city shopkeeperQudratullah.
The Taliban fighters emerged from their hiding places about an hour beforemidnight on Wednesday, some of them firing on security forces fromrooftops, with gunbattles raging into the early hours of Thursday.
At least one suicide bomb attack was launched near the city’s policeheadquarters.
“The city has been turned into a military zone, people are worried andshops are closed,” said resident Baz Mohammad.
“After what happened last night, anything can happen any time.”
Schools were also declared closed for the whole of the month of Ramadan,which began on Thursday, because of the security situation, said KabirHaqmal, media advisor to the ministry of education.
After months of relative calm over the winter, the latest fightingunderlines the challenge facing the Kabul government and its U.S. allieswho are struggling to contain the Taliban insurgency.
The United States has sent thousands of extra trainers to help Afghanforces and stepped up air strikes dramatically, with the aim of pressingthe Taliban to the negotiating table, but there has been little to indicatethe plan is working.