Afghan Forces Kill 260 Taliban Militants In Helmand

No fewer than 260 Taliban militants, including senior commanders, have been killed in an operation by Afghan government forces in the southern province of Helmand.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said on Friday that the Sangin district of Helmand was cleared of Taliban militants.

According to Sediqi, the militants suffered heavy casualties during the operation.

The Helmand operation showed that the Taliban militants cannot hold ground in Afghanistan, he added.

Local officials said almost 800 militants were involved in the attacks centered on Sangin.

“About 800 fighters started to storm four districts of Helmand” on June 22, said the provincial governor’s spokesman, Omar Zwak.

Zwak said reinforcements had been sent to repel the attacks in the Sangin, Nowzad, Kajaki and Musa Qala districts, where 2,000 families have fled the violence.