Taliban seize Kohistan district in northern Afghanistan

Taliban have seized a district in a remote area of northern Afghanistan following several days of fierce fighting in the wake of the group's annual spring offensive that began last month.

Local officials said on Friday that it was Kohistan district, located north of Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan province.

Sanaullah Rohani, provincial police spokesman, said the Thursday night seizure came after security forces failed to receive reinforcements and pulled out of the district police headquarters. 

A number of security posts in Teshkan district, to the south of Fayzabad, were also abandoned to the militants.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said at least 15 members of Afghan security forces had been killed and 14 wounded with three pickup trucks and a large number of weapons seized. Two Taliban militants were also killed.

Taliban have been making inroads in Badakhshan and the seizure of Kohistan brings to three the number of districts the militants control in the province.

Fierce fighting across Afghanistan has intensified in recent weeks with the return of warmer weather, putting government forces under pressure in several areas, including the capital Kabul.

On May 1, two back-to-back bomb blasts hit near government buildings in Kabul during the morning rush hour, leaving at least 25 people dead.

SS