Top Commander Among 25 Taliban Killed In Balkh

A key commander is among 25 Taliban militants killed in fighting with Afghan security forces in the northern Balkh province, reports the Tolo News (Afghanistan). 

Mawlawi Badr was killed after battling security forces in the Chahar Bolak district, a police official said on Thursday. 

The militants suffered heavy casualties over several days of fighting, said Gen. Abdul Razaq Qaderi. 

Four security personnel were killed and four wounded, he said. 

Fighting in the area is still ongoing, said the official. 

The Taliban claimed that it had inflicted heavy casualties on security forces in Balkh province and destroyed three Humvees. 

Separately, a series of Taliban attacks on government checkpoints killed 32 members of the Afghan police and army in the Badghis, Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar provinces, reported Reuters.