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Afghan official: Government offices in Helmand attacked Taliban attack government offices in Afghanistan’s Helmand
(about 4 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official says insurgents have attacked government offices in a town in southern Helmand province, where Taliban fighters have been battling government forces for months. KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban attacked government offices early Wednesday in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, where the insurgents have been battling government forces for months.
Omar Zwak, spokesman for Helmand’s governor, said Wednesday that the police headquarters and intelligence agency offices in Gereshk came under attack in the early morning. Omar Zwak, spokesman for Helmand’s governor, said gunmen attacked the police headquarters and intelligence agency offices in Gereshk. He said security forces repelled the attack on the intelligence facility.
He says four suicide bombers entered the police headquarters, killing two officers and wounding at least four. He says three of the attackers have been killed, with one still fighting. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, in which suicide bombers struck inside the police compound.
Insurgents were prevented from entering the intelligence agency building he says. Jabbar Karaman, a lawmaker appointed by President Ashraf Ghani to investigate the situation in Helmand, said that seven attackers had been killed in the ongoing gunfight with police, as well as three police officers, with an unknown number of civilians caught in the crossfire.
The Taliban claimed responsibility. Earlier reports said four attackers were involved, but the number appears to be much higher.
The insurgents regard Helmand, a major poppy-growing region, as part of their heartland. Fighting, both with government forces and between rival Taliban groups, reflects the importance of the heroin smuggling routes there. Fighting has raged across Helmand, a major poppy-growing region, for the past three months, with the insurgents battling government forces and fighting among themselves for control of smuggling routes. U.S. and British forces saw heavy fighting in Helmand at the height of the 15-year war.
Since the international combat mission drew down in 2014, the Taliban have spread their fight across most of the country, forcing Afghan forces plagued by corruption and incompetence to spread their own assets thin.
U.S. and Afghan military officials have said that the army in Helmand is being rebuilt so that it can take the fight to the Taliban, something it has not been able to do throughout the war.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.