Taliban And Afghan Forces Clash Again Outside Herat City
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published July 31, 2021 | 07:09 PM
Afghan and Taliban forces clashed again on the outskirts of Herat Saturday, a day after a police guard was killed when a United Nations compound in the western city came under attack
Herat, Afghanistan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jul, 2021 ) :Afghan and Taliban forces clashed again on the outskirts of Herat Saturday, a day after a police guard was killed when a United Nations compound in the western city came under attack.
Violence has surged across the country since early May, when the militants launched a sweeping offensive as US-led foreign forces began a final withdrawal that is now almost complete.
The Taliban have seized scores of districts across Afghanistan, including in Herat province, where the group has also captured two border crossings adjoining Iran and Turkmenistan.
Officials and residents reported renewed fighting on the outskirts of Herat Saturday, with hundreds fleeing their homes to seek shelter closer to the heart of the city.
Herat governor Abdul Saboor Qani said most of the fighting was in Injil and Guzara district -- where the airport is located.
"At the moment the fighting is ongoing in the south and southeast. We are moving cautiously and to avoid civilian casualties," Qani said.
Government forces also called an air strike near a 10-bed hospital in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, that officials said had been seized earlier by the Taliban to treat its wounded fighters.
Residents told AFP that Taliban fighters took over the Ariana Afghan Speciality Hospital to treat those hurt.
"This morning, the Taliban fighters came and forced the hospital staff to leave," said Agha Mohammad.
"Planes were hovering in the air at that time, and they were following the Taliban, and the air strike happened." Sher Ali Shakir, provincial public health director of Helmand, said the hospital was destroyed, one person killed, and two wounded.
- Fighting hampers flood rescue - During fighting Friday, the main Herat compound of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire that the UN blamed on anti-government elements.
The militants say they will not target foreign diplomats, but have blatantly violated international protocol before.
Afghan forces and militiamen of veteran warlord and anti-Taliban commander Ismail Khan have been deployed around the city of 600,000 in recent days.
Khan, who previously fought the Soviet occupation forces in the 1980s and then the Taliban during their hardline regime in the 1990s, has vowed to fight the insurgents again to counter their staggering advances in recent months.
Fighting was also hampering rescue efforts after severe flooding in Nuristan this week killed at least 113 people, with over 100 more missing.
"Unfortunately the area is under the control of the Taliban, we were unable to send our provincial teams to the area," said Tamim Azimi, spokesman for Afghanistan's state ministry for disaster management.
"But we have sent the (local) rescue teams along with the Afghan Red Crescent," he told AFP.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PSX gains 771 points
PITB HR Wing organizes Eid Milan celebration for children at PITB Day Care Cente ..
Cabinet briefed on progress of PIA privatization
Meeting held to streamline trade between Pak-Afghan , Central Asian Republics
SONY x TECNO - is this for real?
Progress of Aaghosh, Bunyad, Khud Mukhtar programs discussed
SBP to announce monetary policy on April 29
London stocks hit new record peak on takeovers
Summer School on Understanding Greenhouse Gas Emission and Measurement Technique ..
Rupee sees slight recovery against US dollar
Govt to out source waste management companies to generate revenue
Rawat police arrest four robbers; recover Rs 700,000
More Stories From World
-
UK man charged with 'Russia-backed arson plot' on Ukraine-linked targets
15 minutes ago -
EU toughens safety rules for online retailer Shein
15 minutes ago -
French barber still trimming at 90
15 minutes ago -
Barrett inspires Crusaders' return to form against Rebels
25 minutes ago -
Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought
25 minutes ago -
Blinken says US campus protests part of 'democracy'
45 minutes ago
-
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
1 hour ago -
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt heads to Israel: source
1 hour ago -
Xi tells Blinken US, China should be 'partners, not rivals'
1 hour ago -
Ukraine agriculture minister freed on bail in corruption case
2 hours ago -
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
2 hours ago -
Calls for mosque demolition weigh on India's Muslim voters
2 hours ago