Afghan Insurgents Gaining as Trump Rolls Out War Plan
Over the past month, Taliban insurgents also took the districts of Taiwara, in the western province of Ghor, and Kohistan in Faryab Province,
but government forces have since retaken both of them, according to local officials.
The headquarters in Khamab District in the province of Jawzjan was taken by insurgents on Monday morning, said the spokesman
for the Afghan National Army’s commando units, Ahmad Jawid Salim, who said Afghan forces planned to recapture it.
21, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents overran the government headquarters of a district in northern Afghanistan on Monday, the latest in a string
of losses for Kabul, just hours before President Trump was to unveil his long-delayed strategic plan for handling the nearly 16-year war.
A senior United States military official said an average of 20 Afghan National Army soldiers were being killed each day this month.
On an average day, 31 members of the Afghan national security forces are killed,
as well as nine civilians, according to data from a variety of official sources.
On Monday, a government spokesmen said the soldiers were still trapped there, but
that heavy Afghan airstrikes had killed 80 insurgents and destroyed a dozen of their motorcycles.
On Aug. 13, the Taliban took the center of Ghormach District in Faryab Province in the north, although the Afghan National
Army retains control of a base in the district, which is under Taliban siege and being resupplied by helicopter.