Local media reported Tuesday citing provincial officials that at least nine Afghan security forces had been killed when repelling attacks by the Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan's western Farah Province, while the Afghan forces managed to kill 16 terrorists. According to the TOLO news broadcaster, the clashes began late Monday when terrorists launched separate attacks on security checkpoints in the province’s Khatiban and Bala Buluk districts, Sputnik reported. The clashes in Khatiban continued late into the evening, when Afghan National Army helicopters hit terrorist positions causing large numbers of casualties among the insurgents, according to the Farah police headquarters spokesman cited by the broadcaster. Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable political, social, and security situation due to the simmering militant insurgency. The Afghan national defense and security forces are currently conducting joint operations to combat terrorism across the country.
