11 militants killed in Faryab airstrike

MAIMANA (PAN) air raid in northwestern Faryab province, the Afghan military said on Friday.

The airstrike was conducted in the Atta Khan Khwaja area of Pashtun Ismail, the Taliban chief for Sabz Posh district, and local rebel commander Qari Feroz were among the injured.

Haji Omer, Almar district’s administrative head, confirmed the operation. A dozen insurgents, including the Taliban’s district chief, were killed in the raid. He gave no further details.

But rebel spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi rejected the claim, saying the operation was carried out in the Ghar Tapa area of the district, where the Taliban had no hideout.

The fighters had left the area before operation, he added. Five civilians were killed and three others injured in the raid, Ahmadi alleged.

mas/mud