Fresh ANA offensive in east on the cards

JALALABAD (PAN): A large number of militants have been killed in the eastern zone by the Afghan National Army (ANA) during the just-concluded spring offensive, a top military official said on Sunday.

Chief of Army Staff Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi told a meeting in the Gambiri desert of Laghman province that the ANA was capable of defeating the enemy and conducting successful search operations in different parts of the country.

The 201^st Selab Corps commander, Governor Fazlullah Mujaddedi and civil and military officials from eastern provinces attended the meeting. 

Gen. Karimi said the rebels had stepped up attacks at a time when Afghan forces were preparing for the nationwide security switch. The guerrillas, having lost their face-to-face combat ability, were focused on suicide attacks and bombing, he added. 

He admitted some areas in the east were still haunted by security concerns and the army planned to conduct operations there. The insecure areas included the Torkham-Jalalabad Highway and villages at the foot of Spin Ghar.

Mohammad Noman Hatifi, spokesman for the 201^st Selab Corps, told Pajhwok Afghan News the ANA had conducted 97 operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Kapisa, Parwan and Panjsher provinces over the past three months.

Forty-four fighters were killed, 20 others wounded and a huge quantity of weapons recovered during the offensives, Hatifi said.

mud

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