Eleven troops killed as Taliban storm army bases in Afghanistan

Militants have launched coordinated attacks on two military bases in two neighboring provinces in western Afghanistan, leaving at least 11 soldiers dead and several others injured.
In the first attack, militants stormed a security post on Tuesday night in Pusht Road district of Farah province. At least nine soldiers were killed and four others were injured.
Mohammad Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, said an intense four-hour gunfight followed the attack and included the use of artillery against the army. At least 17 Taliban militants were killed after Afghan warplanes were deployed to repel the assault.
Separately in neighboring Herat province, also on Tuesday night, militants targeted an army post in Kushki Kuhna district. Two soldiers were killed and five others were injured.
According to the military spokesman in Herat, Najibullah Najibi, the attack lasted several hours with the army succeeding in pushing back the militants. The Taliban suffered “heavy casualties” in the ensuing fierce clashes.
Taliban militants have intensified attacks all across Afghanistan, with the last two weeks being particularly deadly for Afghan forces. Last Thursday, a Taliban assault on a military compound left 43 soldiers dead in the southern province of Kandahar.
The militants have warned that there will be no letup in their attacks until foreign forces fully withdraw from Afghanistan.

Infighting kills nearly 50 militants in northern Afghanistan
Afghan officials also reported intense clashes between Taliban and rival militants from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the country’s troubled north. The fighting took place on Monday and Tuesday in the northern province of Jawzjan.
Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani, the provincial police chief, said the fighting left six Daesh terrorists and 42 Taliban militants dead. The casualties came after Daesh launched a massive attack on Taliban positions in several locations, capturing several villages from the Taliban in two districts.
Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the United States and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The invasion removed the Taliban from power, but militancy continues to this day. Taking advantage of the chaos, Daesh has also emerged in Afghanistan.