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| Afghan Special Forces (File Photo) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The fighting season in Afghanistan began with a vengeance this year.
This year’s fighting season in Afghanistan began with a vengeance. Last week, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked army and police installations around the northern Afghan city of Kunduz. The battle is still raging, with heavy casualties on both sides.
Two weeks prior to the offensive in Kunduz city an estimated 1,000 Taliban fighters overran Afghan army positions in Jurm District in Badakhshan Province. Additonally, heavy fighting has been reported in several other provinces, including Sar-i-Pul, Jowzjan and Faryab the New York Times reports.
To make matters worse, the Islamic State (IS) may be making headway into the country as illustrated by a recent suicide attack in Jalalabad on April 18, although the Afghan Analysts Network cautions that IS “has been prominent in Afghanistan largely on social media and in reports by the media and Afghan officials.”
The New York Times notes that the Taliban’s move against Kunduz is the cornerstone of his year’s Taliban spring offensive. Ever since the withdrawal of the German Bundeswehrin October 2013, the security situation has deteriorated in the province.
Read the full story at The Diplomat