HERAT – Fifty-eight members of the Afghan Border Police, who crossed theborder into Turkmenistan following heavy battles with Taliban militants,have returned home through the Torghundi Port in the western Herat provinceon Monday, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The forces came under attack by Taliban militants in Bala Murghab district,which shares border with Turkmenistan, in the northwest of Afghanistan,almost two weeks ago. The battle, according to Ministry of Defense,continued for two weeks.
The ministry said women and children also accompanied the soldiers whenthey crossed the border into Turkmenistan after they came under pressure byTaliban militants.
Another 58 members of the border forces, the ministry said, were capturedby the Taliban.
“Search operations will continue until we release them,” the statementadded.
“From among 150 security force members, some of them surrendered to theTaliban due to the compulsion and some other were forced to flee,” saidAbdul Aziz Bek, member of Badghis Provincial Council.
“We are in a war situation. A war situation has its own words. It is truethat one or two of our personnel are in the hand of the enemy, but we alsohave some of the enemies with us as hostages,” said Noorullah Qaderi,Commander of Afghan Army’s 207 Zafar Corps.
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Footage released by Ministry of Defense earlier this week shows anairstrike purportedly targeting Taliban hideouts in the district.
“They migrated to Turkmenistan alongside their families. They stayed inTurkmenistan for two days, but some of them had surrendered to the Taliban.We do not have any information about their fate,” said Wali Shah Nayeb, anMP.
This comes a week after at least 20 Afghan security force members werekilled in a Taliban attack in Badghis following a fierce battle with themilitants.
Also on February, 15 Afghan security force members who had been captured bythe Taliban were able to escape Badghis. – TOLO News
