Afghan Taliban-linked activities leave 16 dead
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Taliban-linked anti-government activities elsewhere in the northern and eastern Afghanistan claimed 16 lives including eight insurgents on a single day on Saturday.
The militants in the latest waves of violent attacks exploded an explosive-laden motorbike in the northern Kunduz province leaving eight persons including four personnel of Afghan Local Police (ALP) dead and injured 18 others, all civilians.
"The terrorists planted explosive device on a motorbike and detonated it by remote controller in a crowded bazaar in Imam Sahib district today at around 10:00 a.m. local time, as a result four personnel of Afghan Local Police (ALP) and four civilians were killed," district governor Mohammad Ayub Haqyar told Xinhua.
Afghan Local Police is a community police force established months ago to defend their villages against Taliban attacks and their influence to rural areas.
The militants also at 05:00 a.m. local time stormed the only civilian military airport in Jalalabad, capital of eastern Nangarhar province, and inflicting huge casualties, according to the outfit's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Meanwhile, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in a statement released to media, said that eight insurgents were killed during the counter operation launched by Afghan and the NATO-led forces.
"According to initial reports, eight insurgents were killed by the combined force. One was wearing a suicide vest," the statement added.
Initial reports indicate no ANA or ISAF service members were killed, the statement further said.
In the meantime, spokesman for Nangarhar provincial administration Ahmad Zia Abdulzai in talks with Xinhua confirmed that at least six attackers were killed.
"The security forces repelled the attack and army commandos and police in collaboration with NATO-led forces launched a search operation after militants stormed a checkpoint of airport this morning at around 5 a.m. local and so far six attackers have killed," Abdulzai told Xinhua.
On the other hand, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in talks with media via telephone from unknown location said that the outfit had sent 14 suicide bomber to the airport in Jalalabad killing several Afghan and foreign soldiers, a claim rejected by Abdulzai as mere propaganda.
Both Taliban and security forces would intensify their attacks to grab more lands and fortify their positions before snowfall and the onset of harsh winter.
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