Hundreds of families have been displaced as a result of the ongoing fighting that has flared in the center of Farah province and some other districts in recent days, a number of residents who have fled the volatile region said on Thursday.
Intense fighting broke out between the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the Taliban offshoots in the province a week ago following an offensive on government forces in different parts of Farah including the strategic town of Anar Dara which resulted in the death of dozens of government soldiers.
According to Farah residents, resurgent Taliban launches coordinated attacks on security outposts on a daily basis.
The residents said the militants took over many security outposts since the fighting broke out between the two sides a week ago.
Reports indicate that in a recent spate of violence, Taliban fighters launched an attack on two security check points in Dehak village which is a closest vicinity to the provincial capital, Farah City, and killed several security force members.
Unconfirmed reports say that reinforcements were not sent to the area to help soldiers under Taliban siege and it led to a massacre of the officers by the Taliban.
“My son telephoned me at night and said that he is in a secure area inside the city. But the Taliban attacked this secure area and killed my son,” said Abdullah, father of a slain Afghan security force member.
“Dehak is one of the closest regions to Farah City, but the Taliban has reached there and is threatening some government institutions in the province, particularly the National Directorate of Security’s office in Farah. The threat is also a major headache for Farah City,” said Dadullah Qane, member of Farah Provincial Council.
Security officials in Farah have not given an exact figure about fatalities among the government forces and the scale of threats.
“It has become difficult to security and government officials in Farah to give the necessary information on the prevailing situation there. These officials are not giving information to media and the people. This has created a big confusion for the people,” said Naqibullah, a civil society activist in Farah.
Afghan National Army officials said their soldiers have inflicted major casualty toll to the Taliban during the battles.
“All those areas which were overrun by the Taliban were retaken,” Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said. “Our forces have imposed massive casualty toll to the Taliban.”
Security officials have said that Afghan forces have launched fresh airstrikes against the Taliban in the province and that the operation against the militants is still ongoing.