At least 152 pro-government forces and 11 civilians were killed in Afghanistan during the past week.
The following reports compile all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information. The toll here does not generally include claims of insurgents killed by the government, because of the difficulty of verifying such claims. Similarly, the reports do not include attacks on the government claimed by the Taliban. Both sides routinely inflate casualties of their opponents.
Afghan security force casualties greatly increased in the past week, with 152 dead, despite the cold weather at a time when the fighting normally slows down. Instead of focusing on taking over government positions and looting bases, the insurgents appear to be focusing on maximizing casualties in hit-and-run attacks. There was also an unusual increase in Taliban attacks in the west of the country, especially in Herat Province, where five attacks were carried out in the week. Previously, attacks at all were rare there. Farah Province continued to be another focus of Taliban offensives. There appeared to be relatively few government counterattacks.
[ Read the Afghan War Casualty Report from previous weeks .]
Dec. 13 Kandahar Province: one police officer killed
A district police chief in Kandahar City was killed by a mine that had been attached to his vehicle.
Dec. 13 Badghis Province: four security forces killed
Three members of the National Directorate of Security and one police officer were killed in a Taliban attack on a security outpost in the Mel-e Monje area of Qades District. Two N. D. S. members and two police officers were wounded in the attack.
Dec. 12 Kunduz Province: one police officer killed
The Taliban opened fire on security forces in the center of Ali Abad District, killing a police officer and wounding a member of the National Directorate of Security. The attackers used a gun with silencer.
Dec. 11 Badakhshan Province: six soldiers killed
Six soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in a Taliban attack on a military outpost in the Pol-e-Soch village of Jurm District. The insurgents captured the post, which was later recaptured by Afghan forces.
Dec. 11 Baghlan Province: seven security forces killed
The Taliban Red Unit, an elite insurgent force, attacked two security outposts in Baghlan-e-Markazi District. Seven police officers were killed and three others were wounded in the fighting. The Taliban captured one of the outposts.
Dec. 11 Kunduz Province: 12 security forces killed
Two soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in a Taliban rocket attack on their vehicle in the Khwaja Pesta village of Khanabad District.
