Taliban Says in Control of Afghan Village Again
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Taliban forces have recaptured the village of Mirza Olang in the northern province of Sar-e Pol, forcing Afghan army troops to retreat, the militant group said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Taliban said its forces have managed to push Afghan government forces out of Mirza Olang and are now in full control of the area.
Noor Agha Noori, a member of Sar-e Pol’s provincial council, confirmed the report, saying the militants had attacked the village on Tuesday night and seized full control over it.
This is while Najib Danesh, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s interior ministry, denied reports indicating that the town had fallen to the Taliban, saying Afghan troops were still in Mirza Olang.
The South Asian country's forces established control over the district on Tuesday following several days of severe clashes with the Taliban.
Earlier, Afghan Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had rejected reports that the group has recently killed dozens of Shiite civilians in the village as rumors spread by the US and Afghan governments.
According to some international media outlets, some 60 people, including women and children, were killed during the attack on Mirza Olang last Sunday. A number of Afghan security forces were also among the dead.
The militants set fire to several mosques, torched at least 30 houses, beheaded a number of villagers and shot dozens of others dead, the reports said.
