Taliban, Afghanistan Freedom Front Report Divergent Losses in Kamdesh

DID Press: Security sources affiliated with the Taliban say clashes with the Afghanistan Freedom Front are continuing in Kamdesh district of Nuristan, with 22 members of the group killed, 22 detained and around 50 others reportedly ready to surrender.

The Freedom Front, however, says five Taliban fighters were killed and 10 others wounded.According to Taliban security sources, weapons, night-vision devices and ammunition were also seized from Freedom Front fighters during the clashes.The sources alleged that the Freedom Front members had been sent to the area by Pakistan and said fighting between the two sides was still ongoing.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front, meanwhile, said the clashes in Kamdesh resulted in the deaths of at least five Taliban members and injuries to 10 others. The group said the bodies of five Taliban fighters remained on the battlefield, while the wounded were transferred to medical facilities in Nuristan and Kunar.

The rival claims about casualties and the situation on the battlefield have not been independently verified.Kamdesh district, a mountainous area in Nuristan near the Afghan-Pakistani border, has previously witnessed clashes between the Taliban and armed opponents of the group.