Afghan forces attack Taliban in Helmand province, deputy governor captured

The Afghan Air Force has successfully carried out an attack on a group of Taliban terrorists in the southern Helmand Province, capturing the Taliban's local deputy governor, the Helmand Governor's press office said in a statement.

The attack was carried out in the Nawa-I-Barakzayi District. Over 20 Taliban members were killed, while the Taliban's deputy governor for Helmand, Mawlawi Ghafoor, was captured alive by the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

The Taliban have not released any comments yet.

Clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban terrorists intensified in Helmand over the weekend. A civilian source told Sputnik on Sunday that residents of the Nad-e-Ali district were seeking refuge in the city of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, amid the escalation of violence.

There were no reports about any fatalities caused by the Sunday clashes, which came amid ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )