Militant attack on Shindand beaten back

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Officials said on Thursday Afghan security forces had pushed back the militants who attacked the Shindand district bazaar in western Herat province.

Locals said tens of insurgents stormed police check-posts in the district and moved close to the district’s bazaar. Residents were stayed indoors as the fighting erupted.

At least 60 insurgents on motorbikes marched toward the bazaar. Police spokesman Col. Abdul Rauf Ahmadi, confirmed fighting was underway near the district.

Militants could not come close to the district centre or enter the bazaar because of heavy Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and police deployment, he noted.

Asifuddin Jame, the deputy governor, said reinforcements had been sent to the area and militant onslaught had been beaten back.

Twenty-five militants from Helmand and Farah provinces had attacked the district but most of them fled or took shelter in civilian homes.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi rejected reports of militants entering the district, saying a batch of commandos had been deployed to the bazaar to thwart any untoward incident.

Locals said tens of militants besieged a police post in Sangistan area, where sporadic gunfire was heard.

rm/mud

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