Hanif Rezaiee, a spokesman for the army in the country’s north, said armed Taliban on Tuesday morning stormed Afghan forces outposts in Chimtal district of Balkh province.
As many as seven Taliban fighters, including Mullah Ma’az, a commander of the group, were killed and four others injured in clashes which erupted following the insurgents’ attack, he added.
The Taliban, however, have claimed at least eleven Afghan forces were killed and five others captured alive.
In another incident, Afghan Ministry of Defense announced the arrest of five Taliban fighters in Nahr-e Shahi district of the province during an overnight commando forces operation.
There was no comment from the Taliban in regard with this.
Violence in Afghanistan has ramped up amid peace efforts for ending the long-decades conflict in the country.
A U.S.-sponsored peace summit is scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, with the Taliban backing out of participation in the summit on Afghanistan likely to take place in comings days.
Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban political office in Qatar, said the group was still deliberating in this regard.
A Turkey-hosted peace conference on Afghanistan is set to take place on April 16 in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference is said to last for ten days.
Follow TKG on Twitter & Facebook
