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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>More than 50 Dead as Taliban Clash with Afghan Forces<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><img width=600 height=340 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D01953.174210D0" alt="Description: Afghan National Army soldiers"></span><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Afghan National Army soldiers | Photo: Archive<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Published 16 December 2014 (11 hours 41 minutes ago) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>At least five Afghan National Army soldiers and 41 Taliban militants were killed in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar Province.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s assault on the Afghan National Army, which left at least 50 dead, according to local sources.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The increasing casualties among Afghan soldiers and police are in-keeping with a trend shown in recent months as the <a href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/UPDATE-Taliban-Kills-84-Children-in-Pakistan-20141216-0005.html"><span style='color:blue'>Taliban</span></a> have escalated its attacks against the Afghan government. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The group of Taliban militants, reportedly disguised in Afghan army uniforms, attacked a security check post in the province late Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Provincial governor Shuja-ul-Mulk Jalal said the attack on the post led to clashes with the army, which also left at least six militants dead.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Afghanistan's Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, also confirmed that seven Afghan army soldiers were killed following the militants' attack and a roadside bomb explosion in the past 24 hours but did identify the exact locations where the Afghan soldiers were killed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Meanwhile, a Taliban attack on a government compound in southeastern Ghazni Province last Thursday left at least 18 people, including civilians and security forces, dead and over 150 others injured.<br><br>Some unidentified “local sources” say that 41 Taliban insurgents were also killed and another 47 wounded in Tuesday's attacks, according to Tolo News.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The spokesman for the Afghanistan's Selab 201 Military Corps, Noman Atifi, said that the most recent clash took place in the Dangam district of the Kunar province “when the residents of the district started rising up against the Taliban.” The Afghan National Security Forces then launched a military operation, said Atifi.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The spokesman further explained that the clash is still continuing in Dangam, that the Taliban insurgents have torched 12 civilian homes, and that additional troops were deployed to the area Tuesday “to support the local forces.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>ANA officials have said that hundreds of local and foreign Taliban insurgents have attacked the district with the support of Pakistan's intelligence agency, in an effort to collapse the districts of Dangam and Asmar of the province.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Despite United States-backing, the Afghan National Army were recently reported to be <a href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Afghan-Troops-Inept-Casualties-Soaring-20141211-0047.html"><span style='color:blue'>in bad shape</span></a>. Around 5000 Afghan security personnel have been killed this year alone by the Taliban, and defections are soaring.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>