At least 139 pro-government forces and 44 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
The following report compiles all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan from the past seven days. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information. The report includes government claims of insurgent casualty figures, but in most cases these cannot be independently verified by The Times. Similarly, the reports do not include Taliban claims for their attacks on the government unless they can be verified. Both sides routinely inflate casualty totals for their opponents. At least 139 pro-government forces and 44 civilians were killed in Afghanistan the past week, the highest death toll in a single week since October. The Taliban intensified their attacks all over the country beginning May 1, the former deadline for withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, according to the deal signed in February 2020 between the insurgent group and the United States. Some of the worst fighting took place in Baghlan, Farah, Kunduz, Herat, Takhar, Helmand, Ghazni and Badakhshan provinces. The deadliest attack took place in Logar Province, where a truck bomb exploded in front of a guesthouse in which a group of students were preparing for university entrance exams, killing 27 civilians and wounding 107 civilians and three security forces. The explosion was massive, the regional hospital, the guesthouse and many other buildings in the area were damaged. In Badakhshan Province, the Taliban attacked a security outpost in the center of Warduj district, burning down a wooden bridge in the area to block the movements of security forces. Eight members of the territorial army were killed and the Taliban eventually captured the outpost after four hours of fighting. An additional four members of security forces were wounded. Security forces went to extinguish the bridge fire, but they were ambushed, and four territorial army members were killed. May 6 Jowzjan Province: five soldiers killed The Taliban attacked a security outpost in the Jarqoduq area of Qosh Tepa district, killing five soldiers and wounding three others. May 6 Wardak Province: one soldier killed The commander of a support battalion was shot and killed by a Taliban marksman in the Durani Bazaar area of Nerkh district. May 6 Takhar Province: one soldier killed The Taliban attacked the center of Darqad district, killing one soldier and wounding four others. May 6 Helmand Province: two civilians killed A rocket hit a house in Bolan area of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, killing two civilians and wounding three others. May 6 Ghor Province: one police officer killed One police officer was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in the village of Jar-e-Kandiwas of Firoz Koh, the provincial capital. May 6 Ghazni Province: six security forces killed The Taliban attacked and captured a security outpost and a military base in the Arzo area of Ghazni city, the provincial capital. Eight soldiers surrendered to the Taliban from one outpost. At another military base, there were 24 soldiers and police officers, but during the clashes, six soldiers were killed,12 security forces were taken prisoner and six others were wounded. May 6 Kunduz Province: one security force killed The Taliban ambushed security forces as they were patrolling in the Tot Mazar area of Imam Sahib district, killing one pro-government militia member and wounding two others. May 6 Kunduz Province: eight soldiers killed The Taliban attacked a battalion headquarters in the Bagh-e-Shirkat area in the Third Police District of Kunduz city, the provincial capital, killing eight soldiers and wounding two others. Local officials claimed that 13 Taliban fighters were killed in the clashes. May 6 Kunduz Province: one police officer killed The Taliban attacked a security outpost in the First Police District of Kunduz city, killing one police officer. May 6 Kandahar Province: one journalist killed Niamat Rawan, a Finance Ministry employee and former journalist with Tolo News, a national television station, was shot and killed in the 14th Police District of Kandahar city, the provincial capital. May 6 Herat Province: one soldier killed One soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a Taliban attack in the center of Farsi district. May 6 Baghlan Province: one security force killed,100 others surrendered Six military bases and seven outposts collapsed in Shahr-e-Kohna area of Baghlan-e-Markazi district. Around 100 security forces, including 70 soldiers, surrendered to the Taliban in the area. One pro-government militia member was killed and two others were wounded in the clashes. May 6 Ghazni Province: six security forces killed The Taliban attacked three security outposts in the Noh Borja and Char Borja villages of Khwaja Omari district, killing four police officers and two pro-government militia members. May 6 Faryab Province: three police officers killed The Taliban attacked a security outpost in Pashtun Kot district, killing three police officers, including a father and his son. Two officers were also wounded in the battle.
