Taliban Overruns Northeastern Afghan District

By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan

June 06, 2015

Officials say that at least three security personnel and eight Taliban fighters were killed when a district in northeastern Afghanistan fell under Taliban control after rebels attacked security checkpoints on June 6.

The militants attacked the Yamgan district of Badakhshan province overnight and seized most of it, said Laal Mohammad Ahmadzai, the provincial police spokesman.

Shah Waliullah Adeeb, the acting governor of Badakhshan, confirmed to RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the district had fallen to Taliban fighters.

"Foreign insurgents are among the dead," he said, adding that the security forces were still fighting to regain control of the district.

Another provincial government official who requested anonymity said the district was under Taliban control and security forces had fled.

The Taliban also confirmed that its fighters had captured the center of the district.
 
Afghan security forces are now fighting the insurgency without the help of international troops, who ended the combat phase of their mission last year.

In the eastern province of Ghazni, at least seven civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Andar district, a government official said June 6.

Shafiq Nang Safi, the provincial governor spokesman, said six other civilians were injured in the incident that occurred on June 5.
 
With additional reporting by dpa and AP