At least 23 members of the army’s special unit have been killed in clashes with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The incident took place in the northern province of Faryab on Wednesday. A member of the Afghan security forces, who did not want to be named, confirmed the information.
It is learned that clashes with the Taliban erupted when local army and commandos launched a clean-up operation in Daulatabad district. At least 23 commandos were killed and six policemen were injured.
After the clash, the security forces retreated from Daulat Abad district center and took up position in Karamkol district of Faryab province. The Daulat Abad district center was captured by the Taliban about a week ago after heavy fighting.
Sohrab Azimi, a special forces officer trained in the United States and Turkey, was killed in the clashes with the Taliban. He is the son of retired General Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s former defense minister. Zaheer Azimi confirmed his son’s death in a clash with the Taliban, saying he was proud his son had been martyred.
She said her son and his colleagues have performed their duties with pride and courage. They have sacrificed their lives to defend the country. Local and international media in Afghanistan have reported that violence has escalated in the country as the Taliban’s peace process with the Afghan government has stalled.
In the past 24 hours, at least 60 districts in Afghanistan have clashed with government forces. The clashes killed 100 Taliban fighters and more than 90 members of the Afghan army.
The head of the Taliban movement was Mullah Muhammad Umar. Umar was followed by a mixed unit of military commanders and madrassa teachers. After that, the place was for the people studying in different religious schools of Pakistan according to their rank. The Taliban movement was most widespread in the Pashtun region of southern Afghanistan and parts of West Pakistan. Some volunteers from Europe and China also joined the movement. The Taliban received heavy weapons and training assistance from various sources. The Pakistani government has been particularly accused of aiding Inter-Service Intelligence in aiding the Taliban. In addition, many from madrassas built for Afghan refugees in Pakistan joined the armed movement. These madrasas were established by Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam.
The Taliban have been in power in the Afghan capital, Kabul, for more than five years. But during this long period only three countries recognized them: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan lost UN recognition for human rights abuses, and most countries in Iran, India, Turkey, Russia, the United States, and Central Asia opposed Taliban rule and supported the anti-Taliban Afghan Northern Alliance.
While in power, the Taliban established Sharia-based Islamic rule. They were praised in the Muslim world for their extremely decent treatment of women. Women had to walk around wearing burqas. It was neither expedient nor secure for them to get a job or education after reaching adulthood. So those who wanted to study after that were sent to specially designed schools and if anyone was caught in an un-Islamic situation, severe punishment was meted out. Male doctors could not treat them. If it was to be done privately, a male relative or husband had to be brought along.
All men and women had to face severe punishment for violating Islamic law. After they came to power in 1996, they established the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. The fall of the Taliban government in a joint operation by the Northern Alliance and the NATO alliance in 2001 did not completely end the conflict. At present, they are in a strong position. After 20 years of war, the United States did not succeed and finally an agreement was signed between the Taliban and the United States. Under the agreement, the United States will withdraw some troops from Afghanistan. Last mid-April, the new US President Joe Biden announced that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would begin on May 1 to end “America’s longest war.” On the other hand, Taliban leader Haji Hekmat has declared that the Taliban have won the war.
