21 killed in two days as fighting intensifies in Afghanistan

KABUL: Fighting has intensified in northern Afghanistan as 21 fighters from warring sides were killed in clashes between the government forces and Taliban militants in two northern provinces over the past two days.

Taliban militants, in an overnight attack on security checkpoints in Chamtal district of Balkh province, killed six police personnel and injured two others, said a provincial council member Mohammad Saleh Muradi on Wednesday.

Similarly, a clash between the government forces and the Taliban insurgents in Shirin Tagab district of the restive Faryab province, which erupted on Tuesday night and lasted until Wednesday morning, killed three security personnel and five pro-government tribal militias called uprising people, said member of Faryab provincial council Sibghatullah Silab. Fighting between security forces and the Taliban outfit also killed seven militants,including a local commander, Abu Talha, and injured five others in Garziwan district of Faryab province on Tuesday, said an army statement released on Wednesday.

Taliban militants have also intensified activities in Jawzjan, Sari Pul, Kunduz, Baghlan, Samangan, Badakhshan and Takhar provinces over the past months. Government forces, according to security officials, will continue to keep pressure on militants during freezing winter to weaken their abilities in Afghanistan.