Afghanistan troops eliminate 262 Taliban terrorists in 24 hours amid US military drawdown
In an attempt to stop the Taliban from invading cities, the Afghanistan government imposed a curfew across almost all of the country.
FollowThe Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan on Saturday (July 24) claimed that their security forces have killed as many as 262 Taliban terrorists across various provinces in just 24 hours.
The Ministry also said 176 Taliban terrorists were injured during the operations by Afghan forces and 21 IED bombs were defused.
“262 Taliban terrorists were killed and 176 were wounded as a result of #ANDSF operations in Laghman, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Ghazni, Paktia, Kandahar, Herat, Balkh, Jowzjan, Helmand, Kunduz & Kapisa provinces during the last 24 hours. Also, 21 IEDs were discovered & defused,” the Ministry said in a tweet.
In an attempt to stop the Taliban from invading cities, the Afghanistan government imposed a curfew across almost all of the country, the media reported. Aside from the capital Kabul and two other provinces, no movement will be allowed between 10 pm and 4 am.
With the US troops drawdown from Afghanistan on the verge of completion, a new terror axis is emerging in the Afghan-Pak geopolitical theatre with the convergence of interests between Pakistan, China and Turkey.
Amid the Taliban's increasing grip over Afghanistan, Pakistan has dropped all pretensions of being an ally of the US led-western countries despite the much-needed American safety net on key issues that have a direct impact on its economy.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that the Afghan security forces' first job was to make sure they could slow the Taliban's momentum before attempting to retake territory, as Afghan forces plan to consolidate forces around strategically important parts of the country.
Reuters reported that Afghanistan's military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure.
"They are consolidating their forces around the key population centers," Austin told reporters during a visit to Alaska.
"In terms of whether or not it will stop the Taliban, I think the first thing to do is to make sure that they can slow the momentum," Austin said, speaking as the US military is set to end its mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, on orders from President Joe Biden.
Austin added that he believed the Afghans had the capability and the capacity to make progress, but "we'll see what happens."
Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces has escalated over the past two months as international troops withdraw from the country, the BBC reported.
The militant group is estimated to have captured up to half of all territory.
It has moved swiftly in the wake of the US withdrawal, retaking border crossings and other territory in rural areas.
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