At least 38 Taliban fighters, many of them Pakistani citizens, have been killed and dozens injured during overnight clashes with a government-sponsored militia in south-eastern Afghanistan, a local commander said on Friday.
Lotfullah Kamran told DPA that about 1,000 Taliban fighters attacked three villages in Andar, one of the most dangerous districts in Ghazni province.
“At least 38 of the attackers, most of them Pakistani citizens, were killed and dozens more were wounded in a six-hour-long battle with Afghan local police and the fighters of the national uprising,” Mr. Kamran said.
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According to Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the Deputy Provincial Governor, the Taliban “attacked a local police checkpoint in Andar district.” One policeman was injured “while our reports say that 10 to 15 attackers have been killed,” he said.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi confirmed the attack, saying 10 pro-government militias had been killed by their fighters.
The local militia, known as National Uprising, was recently set up to counter and prevent Taliban attacks in the area.
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