Fifteen Afghan police were killed in an attack by the Taliban militants on two checkpoints close to Afghanistan's southern city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province Tuesday.
A senior security official of Helmand released the number of fatalities, saying, “The situation is very critical near” the city.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official also called on the Afghan government to act soon, warning that otherwise “there will be a disaster.”
The casualties came after Taliban militants overran two checkpoints in the town of Girishk and the district of Nad Ali.
Bashir Shaker, a member of the provincial council, said Taliban has recently stepped up its raids against “security belts near Lashkar Gah.”
"The threat is becoming bigger minute by minute. If the government does not take action soon, we will witness the collapse of Lashkar Gah," Shaker stated.
Helmand, a Taliban heartland, has been the scene of fierce fighting for months as Taliban has stepped up its attacks there.
On April 12, Taliban announced the start of its annual spring offensive against Afghan security forces and US-led foreign forces across the conflict-ridden country.
The militants dubbed the offensive “Operation Omari” in honor of the Taliban founder and long-time leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, who purportedly died at a hospital in Karachi, the main seaport and financial center of Pakistan, in April 2013.
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source : Agencies
Wednesday
11 May 2016
10:54:05 AM
753551
Fifteen Afghan police were killed in an attack by the Taliban militants on two checkpoints close to Afghanistan's southern city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province Tuesday.