The Taliban killed 24 Afghan National Army soldiers and captured six more in an assault on a base in Nimroz province in western Afghanistan today. The Taliban continues to press its offensive nationwide.
Taliban fighters attacked the ANA outpost in the city of Deleram in the district of Khashrod during the night and seized all of the equipment, ATN News reported. At least four more soldiers were wounded in addition to the 24 soldiers killed killed and six captured.
Delaram City straddles the “Ring Road,” the vital highway that links Afghanistan’s major cities. It is a key supply route for the Afghan military. The Taliban routinely shuts down stretches of the road and installs checkpoints to collect taxes and search for government officials.
Last night’s attack is the second major Taliban assault on Afghan security personnel in the province in four days. On Oct. 20, the Taliban killed 12 Afghan policemen, including a district police chief, in an IED strike and ambush in Nimruz’s Kang district.
Afghan security forces have struggled to contain the Taliban’s latest offensive and have taken significant casualties. On Oct. 21, the Taliban killed 47 security personnel, including the deputy police chief for Takhar, during a counterattack in the northern province. Afghan security forces were on the verge of losing Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, before the U.S. military intervened with a series of airstrikes. Heavy fighting has also been reported in Dehrawod district in Uruzgan province. The Taliban also destroyed an energy pylon in Herat that provided power from Iran to the region.
The Taliban has been relentlessly attacking Afghan security forces and the government. Over the past 48 hours, the Taliban has launched strikes in 24 of the country’s 36 provinces, according to the Ministry of Defense.
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