DM Monitoring
KABUL: More than 90 militants have been confirmed dead over the past two days as Afghan forces have intensified air raids against Taliban group in the country amid stalled peace talks in Doha, officials said Thursday.
In the latest wave of air attacks, the Afghan fighting planes struck a Taliban hideout in Aqtepa area of Charbolak district in the northern Balkh province, killing 11 insurgents including three local commanders, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said. According to the official, the sorties were launched at 01:25 p.m. local time Thursday, killing 11 militants and having destroyed a number of motorbikes used by the militants.
Similarly, the airstrikes on the same area of Charbolak district a day earlier on Wednesday left 31 insurgents dead, Rezai added.
According to the official, the similar air attacks on Wednesday against Taliban fighters in the Aqtepa’s neighboring Gortepa village killed 26 militants.
Afghan forces’ airstrikes also targeted Taliban militants in Nawa, Nahr-e-Saraj and Garmsir districts of the southern Helmand province on Wednesday, killing 27 armed insurgents including two group commanders namely Hanzala and Barakat, said an army statement.
A Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, without making comments on the claims made by the officials, said that Taliban militants are capable enough to defend their positions.
Fighting increases amid standstill in the peace talks between the Afghan government negotiating team and the Taliban representatives in Qatari capital Doha.
The second round of intra-Afghan talks, which resumed on Jan. 6 in Doha, has stalled.
According to local media reports no meeting has been held over the past 25 days.
