Sartagab village of Patu district, which had fallen to the Taliban last week, has been cleared of the militants’ presence, local officials confirmed.
Sarwar Barlas, spokesperson for Daikundi governor, told Kabul Now today, June 24, security and defense forces in close cooperation with People Uprising Forces (PUF), have retaken Sartagab village.
The forces had launched their operation around 2:00 AM today which continued until 1:00 PM as the result of which the Taliban has suffered casualties, but the exact number has not been determined yet, he added.
The security forces led by Reza Aslami, head of security department in Daikundi, have suffered no casualties in the attack.
Tahir Etemadi, district governor for Patu, said PUF led the operation due to their familiarity with the area. He said the Taliban had taken heavy weapons with them before the arrival of army troops and that most militants had fled the area.
Clashes between security and defense forces and the Taliban in Patu district began on June 10. After heavy attacks in Tamzan and Qakhur areas, the Taliban attacked Sartagab and besieged three PUF checkpoints overnight.
On June 17, the Taliban had overrun Sartagab, setting residential houses and agricultural products on fire. More than 500 families have been displaced from the village to Nili city, provincial capital for Daikundi, and other neighboring areas.
Mr. Etemadi announced that after the clearance operation against the militant group, the displaced families can return to their homes.
Since the beginning of clashes between security and defense forces, PUF, and the Taliban, eight members of PUF that include a civilian and a security force were killed. Whereas for the Taliban, 94 members of them were killed and wounded in the area, security sources confirmed.
Since May 01, beginning of the foreign troops withdrawal, nearly 70 districts have fallen to the Taliban in different parts of the country.
