At least 37 security forces have been killed in a raid by radical Islamic Taliban in Fara province, western Afghanistan. The extremists had overrun the village of Chost in the Chak-e Safid district and killed dozens of local police officers during the night, said the MP of Fara province, Humaira Adschubi.
Provincial Councilor Abdul Samad Salehi spoke of 40 to 50 police officers killed. In the village there was a contingent of about 200 police officers. The Taliban also set fire to several police houses, Salehi said. What happened to the rest of the security forces was completely unclear.
Safety drastically worsened
According to Adschubi, two or three checkpoints on the outer border of the provincial capital Fara were also invaded by Taliban fighters. About victim numbers is not yet known. The government practically controls only the provincial capital in the province of Fara, Adschubi said.
Safety in the province of Fara has deteriorated significantly in recent months. Just last week, at least 25 border guards were killed in a raid on a base. In mid-May, the extremists overran parts of the provincial capital of the same name and took over several government buildings at short notice, before being evicted by police and military with the support of US air strikes.
