At least 25 people, including 22 members of an anti-Taliban militia force and three Afghan tribal elders were killed in an attack carried out by the Taliban in northwestern Faryab Province, Afghan officials said.
According to the deputy of a government-run provincial council in the area, Tahir Rahmani, Afghan Taliban militants killed 25 militiamen after an hours-long clash in Shirin Tagab district’s Astana Baba locality, World Bulletin reported.
Only a few days earlier, Afghan Vice President General Abdul Rasheed Dostum had defeated Taliban in the area and handed it over to a pro-government militia.
“General Dostum took the area from Taliban on Wednesday and handed it over to the pro-government forces. However, Taliban returned after Dostum left the area and took on the militia,” Rahmani said.
He said some 80 pro-governmental militia members had been besieged by Taliban in the area on Thursday, of which 25, including three pro-governmental tribal elders, were killed in clashes. The bodies were handed over to families on Friday.
Dostum, who is said to be personally leading an anti-Taliban operation, had freed over 100 villages from Taliban control in Faryab that left about 300 local and foreign militants reportedly dead. Around 400 also reportedly surrendered their weapons in the past month.
Regaining territory from Taliban is among the main challenges for Afghan troops after US-led NATO forces handed over responsibility of security to Afghan national security forces in late 2014.
