<p><a href="/en/afganistan/kabul" class="glossify-link">KABUL</a> Resolute Support (RS) mission said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Crisis Response Unit 222, the Special Mission Wing, and Afghan Special Forces elements destroyed an estimated $8.7 million of Taliban narcotics during a nighttime raid in Khogyani district of Kandahar on Feb. 20.</p>
<p>Three Taliban were arrested in the bust that included 3,000 kilograms of morphine, 300 kg of heroin, and 60 kg of opium, a statement from the NATO-led mission said.</p>
<p>From Feb. 20 to 22, Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF) defeated a large group of Taliban attempting to create instability in Bala Baluk district of Farah province.</p>
<p>The Afghan special operators removed more than 70 Taliban fighters from the district through a combination of offensive, ground maneuver and US and Afghan airpower, the statement added.</p>
<p>On Feb. 24, Afghan commandos spearheaded a 209th Corps operation that removed Taliban from 125 square kilometers in Balkh province. The Taliban continue to seek refugee among the civilian population, it said, adding the operation was ongoing.</p>
<p>ASSF eliminated a senior Taliban commander, Sher Zaman, during a nighttime raid on Feb. 28 in the Tagreb district of Kapisa province. Zaman operated in Kapisa, Parwan and Kabul provinces, planning attacks and facilitating the movement of explosive equipment.</p>
<p>The explosives were used to target Afghan soldiers, government officials, Resolute Support mission personnel, the diplomatic community and Afghan civilians, the statement alleged.</p>
<p>"The Afghan Special Forces are lethal," said Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, at a press conference in Kabul on Feb. 24. </p>
<p>"Afghan security forces been fully in the lead for some time, and the task they have is challenging, but they’ve kept up the pressure on insurgents across the country. I think it’s clear that the Taliban cannot win on the battlefield."</p>
<p>nh/mud</p>
