Taliban fighters kill six Afghan security men

Monitoring Desk

HELMAND: Taliban gunmen killed at least six Afghan security men and wounded five others after an attack in southern Helmand province, officials said Saturday.

The Taliban fighters attacked security posts in the Trekh Zabar wrea of Nawa district last night, said Haji Atiqullah, chairman of Nawa district’s social shura.

In the ensuing clashes, he told AIP, six security men were killed and five more wounded, adding the Taliban might also have suffered casualties but they had no information. A senior district official confirmed the security forces casualties, saying all the slain troops were the members of special unit of National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghan spy agency, while the injured included two national police and three NDS troops.

Omar Zwak, spokesman of Helmand governor, confirmed the clash, saying the attack targeted first security layer of the district. Though he said both the sides suffered, he avoided giving further details. Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmad claimed their fighters seized three security posts and a large number of weapons besides killing and wounding numerous Afghan troops. The security forces left behind bodies of their 15 slain troops, he said without disclosing Taliban casualties.