Two soldiers, 36 militants killed after gov’t forces repel predawn attack in eastern Afghanistan

Jalalabad, Afghanistan : Two Afghan soldiers and at least 36 Taliban militants were killed and 52 militants wounded after the government forces repelled a predawn attack in the country’s eastern province of Nangarhar, a provincial government spokesman confirmed on Thursday.

The clashes erupted as hundreds of Taliban militants armed with guns and heavy weapons, including rocket propelled grenades, attacked Sherzad district while trying to capture the control of the suburban district in the southeast of Nangarhar, provincial government spokesman Attahullah Khogiani told Xinhua.

Four Afghan soldiers were also wounded during the fighting that had lasted for hours, he said.

In neighboring Laghman province, Afghan forces retook control of Badpakh district early on Thursday after the Afghan Special Forces launched a cleanup operation late Wednesday night, evicting the militants from the district, according to Fawad Aman, deputy spokesperson of the Defense Ministry.

He wrote on his social media account that details about the liberation of Badpakh will be shared with media soon.

Many Afghan provinces have been the scene of heavy battles in recent months as Taliban militants have reportedly captured about 200 districts since the start of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops in May this year.

UNI/XINHUA