Afghan army reclaims district bordering Turkmenistan from Taliban

Afghan army soldiers recaptured Ghormach district, bordering Turkmenistan, from Taliban militants in northern Faryab province on Saturday, said spokesman of Defense Ministry. "Army personnel of the Corps 209 Shaheen entered Ghormach district center. Cleanup operation is going on to clear the militants from the district's surrounding areas," General Dawlat Waziri said on his twitter account. The militants were drove out from district center shortly after the operation began at early hours of the day. About five Taliban militants were killed and four others were injured since the troops engaged with the militants, according to Waziri. Sporadic clashes continued in the district as the army specialists were defusing landmines, roadside bombs and combing through booby-trapped buildings and government offices. The troops' advancement came after the earlier capture of Khamab district in the neighboring Jawzjan province. On Oct. 18, the Taliban militants overran the district in the province with Maimana as its capital, 425 km northwest of Afghan capital of Kabul. The Taliban has executed several security force members, including the district police chief Abdul Majid Galimbaf. They also set government buildings on fire, including district headquarters and police department, according to local media. The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since mid April when the militant group launched its so-called annual rebel offensive in different places of the militancy-plagued country which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians. Afghan military analysts believe that the armed militants have been attempting to take more territory and consolidate their positions ahead of winter in the mountainous country.