KABUL: Taliban militants killed up to 50 Afghan troops and overran a military base in a series of attacks on Wednesday — the first major strike by the extremists since the Eid Al-Fitr cease-fire ended.
The deadliest attack took place in the Balamorghab district in northwestern Badghis province, where at least 30 Afghan soldiers died in a pre-dawn ambush.
“It was heavy fighting. The Taliban captured a military base in addition to killing 30 soldiers,” Abdul Aziz Beg, Badghis’s provincial council chief, told Arab News.
“Large numbers of Taliban came from several directions,” he said. “After hours of heavy fighting, 30 Afghan security forces were killed and the Taliban captured the base.”
The Defense Ministry confirmed the deaths of 13 soldiers in the attack.
Taliban fighters also struck government posts in the Bala Boluk district of western Farah province, killing 17 security force personnel in a night attack.
The attacks were the first by the Taliban since the Eid truce with the government ended on Sunday.
The governors of Farah and Badghis provinces were among officials who took selfies and celebrated Eid with Taliban fighters who left the frontlines and gathered in towns during the cease-fire — the first truce in the current Afghan conflict which began with the US forces ousting the militants in late 2001.
Beg said Taliban fighters may have visited government-held areas during the cease-fire to plan their attacks.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani initially called for a week-long cease-fire, but extended the truce by 10 days before the Taliban announced a resumption of hostilities.
Speaking with a group of peace marchers who walked for 40 days and covered about 700 km on their way to Kabul, Ghani said on Tuesday that he was prepared to extend the truce for a year if the Taliban were willing to accept.
While the US, UK and UN hailed Ghani’s peace overtures, many have criticized the Afghan leader for allowing militants to enter government-held areas and cities, including Kabul.
Retired Gen. Attiqullah Amarkhail accused the government of “poor management and leadership,” saying troop numbers in vulnerable areas should have been increased before the truce.
“From a military point of view, when two sides observe truce, both need to put intelligence and reconnaissance on high alert to foil possible attacks,” he told Arab News.
“We did not do that. The cease-fire does not mean that soldiers have to sleep or put their guns under their pillows. There is a problem in management and leadership here. The enemy escalated its attacks to show the world and the Afghans they are still strong,” he said.
