Badakhshan under attack as Taliban took control over of Raghestan district
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: The northeastern province of Afghanistan Badakhshan is falling to Taliban as they (Taliban) have taken the control of Raghestan district during the night of Thursday-Friday.
According to unconfirmed information, thousands of Taliban have gained control of Raghestan district as a result of fierce attacks. Meanwhile, Col. Sakhi Dad Haidari, the deputy police chief claimed that just half of Reghestan district has fallen not the whole district.
Taliban sources claimed that they started attack on early hours of Friday (around 2 am morning) and capture the entire region and took over the charge of important buildings. Taliban sources accepted that Afghan government has sent troops to the area but they are confident to keep the control of the region.
Taliban sources are not sharing number of casulities of both side but claimed that they have taken Afghan soldiers as hostages also who were manning government buildings while Afghan official sources claimed that heavy fighting is still ongoing between security forces and Taliban and eight Taliban fighters had been killed so far and two Afghan law enforcers wounded.
Back-up forces had been sent to the remote district to repel the attacks, he added.
The Taliban have yet to comment on the offensive. According to local officials, most of the fighters have come from Pakistan’s tribal areas to establish bases for themselves in different parts of the province.
Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the farthest northeastern part of the country between Tajikistan and northern Pakistan. It shares a 56.5 miles (91 km) border with China. It is part of a broader historical Badakhshan region. The province contains 22 to 28 districts, over 1,200 villages. Afghan government claims that Taliban in Badakhshan Province are getting support from Pakistan while Pakistan claims that most wanted terrorist and chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mullah Fazulullah is living in Kunar and Badakhshan Province under the full support of Pushtun war lords of Afghanistan.
