Afghan forces battle to push Taliban out of town in Farah

Afghan forces backed by air strikes battled yesterday to recapture a district centre in the western province of Farah, after Taliban fighters seized the town in an overnight attack, killing several policeman.

Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman of the interior ministry, said reinforcements arrived in Anar Dara town and surrounded a group of Taliban fighters. Air strikes killed 56 insurgents, he said.

Eight police officers, including a commander, were killed.

The Taliban released pictures that appeared to show fighters in the town and a spokesman for the group, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said 15 policemen had been killed and several military vehicles seized, along with a large quantity of ammunition.

Afghan and US commanders have been upbeat about the course of the war since US President Donald Trump announced a more robust military strategy last year.

The fighting in Anar Dara came days after local officials said the Taliban had inflicted heavy losses on Afghan special forces in another district of Farah, an isolated region the government has struggled to control.

The pressure on Farah has grown as US air strikes and Afghan army operations have inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban fighters in neighbouring Helmand province, the country’s main opium-growing region and a heartland of the insurgency.

In January, the governor of Farah resigned, blaming political interference and corruption. Residents of Farah city have complained bitterly about security in the province, where some police units are alleged to collude with Taliban fighters, selling them weapons and ammunition.

With the approach of spring weather, security officials said they expect fighting to surge as the Taliban, fighting to drive out international forces and reimpose their version of Sharia, step up pressure.