Afghan and Coalition Soldiers Reclaim Southern Town From Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghan and coalition soldiers Wednesday took back the second of two towns that had been overrun by the Taliban, Afghan and U.S. officials said.Hundreds of troops battled Taliban fighters and entered the Helmand provincial town of Garmser, which insurgents had captured Sunday, said Gen. Rahmatullah Roufi, the Afghan army commander in the country’s south.“Our troops launched an attack on Garmser and thank God we captured it,” Roufi told The Associated Press. He declined to provide details.A purported Taliban statement threatened “severe” action in coming days.The operation in Garmser followed an offensive against Taliban militants about 20 miles to the north in Naway-i-Barakzayi, which the insurgents captured Monday but apparently abandoned.U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick said Afghan and coalition forces “skirmished” with Taliban fighters outside Garmser but met no resistance once inside.“The Taliban appears to be bullying their way around some of the smaller towns in remote areas but they have no capability to lay claim to any piece of ground,” Fitzpatrick said.Two Afghan soldiers were wounded in the operation, and Helmand’s deputy governor said two Taliban were also killed.Separately, one soldier in the U.S.-led coalition was killed and two were wounded in combat Tuesday in southern Uruzgan province, a hotbed of Taliban activity, an American military statement said. The soldiers’ nationalities were not released. officials said.Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint south of Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah, killing one policeman and burning two vehicles, the provincial governor’s spokesman said.Afghan and coalition forces are trying with limited forces to counter the Taliban tactic of striking far-flung towns before blending back into the desert and local communities when a formidable threat appears.“There are challenges because at the moment there are a finite number of security forces _ Afghan and coalition _ and the real solution is providing Afghan security and that has to be grown,” Fitzpatrick said.A purported Taliban statement said the militia would open “new fronts” in its fight and threatened “severe” action in the coming days. It said the Afghan police and army should stop helping “foreign occupation forces” and seek forgiveness from the Taliban.The statement was sent by e-mail to an Associated Press reporter in Pakistan by Mohammed Hanif, who often issues statements on behalf of the Taliban. His exact ties to its leadership are unclear and the statement’s authenticity could not be verified.Afghanistan has about 60,000 policemen and less than 30,000 soldiers, plus more than 30,000 U.S.-led and NATO forces. There are plans to increase the Afghan army’s size to 70,000, but defense officials have said at least double that number is needed.Thousands of U.S., British, Canadian and Afghan soldiers in the south are battling the worst surge in Taliban violence since the 2001 toppling of the hardline regime. The southern violence has forced thousands of residents to flee their homes, aid.About 4,000 British troops, part of an expansion of NATO forces into the region, are deploying in Helmand at the end of the month to take over from U.S. forces.

Afghan and Coalition Soldiers Reclaim Southern Town From Taliban

Afghan and Coalition Soldiers Reclaim Southern Town From Taliban

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