Taliban reject Afghan defence ministry reports of heavy casualties

Kabul [Afghanistan], May 8 (ANI): The Taliban on Saturday rejected the Afghan Defence Ministry report that they (Taliban) had suffered significant losses due to heavy fighting over the first four months of this year but the Ministry maintained that the figures of Taliban casualties were accurate.
According to the ministry data, the period in question was the deadliest for the Taliban, as 6,320 group members were killed and 2,790 others were injured in clashes in different provinces across the country. The highest number of casualties in the past four months -- 2,099 -- was reported in the southern Kandahar province, as reported by Sputnik.
"I strongly reject the enemy's claim. Yesterday, the Ministry of Defence claimed to have killed 110 Taliban [members] in Helmand. While one of our persons was killed, the MoD is not in a position to inflict so many casualties on the Taliban," the group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Sputnik.
The defense ministry, in turn, maintained to Sputnik that its figures on Taliban casualties were accurate.
"The information we have gathered is accurate. We identify the number of Taliban [militants] before an attack and after an attack. Residents tell us about the figures that there are still Taliban bodies left. In the fighting the locals are cooperating with us in collecting the data," ministry spokesman Fawad Aman said, reported by Sputnik.
The Afghan government and Taliban militants continue fighting each other despite the ongoing intra-Afghan talks in Qatar's capital of Doha and the withdrawal of US forces that began last week.
Earlier today the Afghan National Army reported to Tolo news that the Afghan Army commando forces broke the siege in Dahana-e-Ghori district in the northern province of Baghlan today where fighting has been going on for the last three days with Taliban forces.
According to Tolo News, Safiqullah Amiri, commander of commando forces regiment in the north who leads the operations in Baghlan, on Saturday said, "Reinforcements have arrived in the district and that three outposts that had fallen to the Taliban were retaken."
"At least 10 security force members were rescued during the operation," Amiri added. (ANI)