A dozen insurgents killed in Logar firefight

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): A dozen Taliban insurgents and two local policemen have been killed during a clash in Azra district of central Logar province, officials said on Sunday.

The governor’s spokesman, Saleem Saleh, told Pajhwok Afghan News the clash erupted after Taliban staged coordinated attacks on security check posts in the district on Saturday night.

The attack was repulsed and 12 attackers were killed as the security forces retaliated.  Another 11 attackers were wounded in the clash.

The slain rebels’ bodies and some weapons remained at the scene before removed by security forces, said Saleh, adding a notorious Taliban commander Mullah Adam’s deputy, Qari Ahmadullah, was also among the slain insurgents.

 “The Taliban wanted to capture the Azra district by attacking the security posts. More security are expected to reach Azra district.”

Meanwhile, Logar provincial council member Abdul Wali Wakeel also confirmed the clash, saying the Taliban had launched the attack on security posts from Saleemkhel and Kaswalkhel areas.

He said besides the insurgents, two Afghan Local Police (ANP) members were also killed in the clash and five others wounded. He asked the government to take needed measures for ensuring security in Azra.

The road connecting Azra with Pul-i-Alam, the provincial capital, has been closed for the past 14 years. Residents of the district are obliged to travel to Kabul and Pul-i-Alam through Nangarhar province.

sns/ma