Troops retaliate after Taliban slaying of district governor in Ghazni

AFP

GHAZNI -- Afghan forces responded with air strikes and ground operations after a Taliban attack in Ghazni Province killed at least seven government personnel, including the district governor.

Taliban militants launched a pre-dawn raid on a district government compound in Khwaja Omari District Thursday (April 12), officials said.

District Governor Ali Shams Dost and six police were killed and 10 intelligence officers were wounded, provincial governor's spokesman Mohammad Arif Noori told AFP.

Afghan forces launched an air and ground offensive later Thursday in response, killing at least 38 militants and wounding 30 others, said Noori, local media reported.

The militants used a ladder to climb into the compound, deputy provincial police chief Ramazan Ali Mohsini told AFP, giving a death toll of 13. Scores of Taliban fighters were killed, he added.

Afghan officials often give conflicting casualty figures immediately after an attack.

"The attack is over, and the district is under the control of Afghan security forces after reinforcement forces rushed to the scene," Mohsini added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a WhatsApp message to journalists.

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