FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): Local officials on Thursday cited Taliban ’s access to Russian weapons and night vision binoculars the reason behind increased casualties among Afghan forces and falling of some areas in western Farah province.

A letter from Farah police headquarters, a copy of which is available with Pajhwok Afghan News, says 84 policemen were killed and 38 others wounded in Taliban attacks in two months in the province.

The letter cites insufficient strength of the police force a serious challenge and asks the governor’s house to resolve the problem.

However, Farah Civil Society Network head, Baryalai Ghafari, said according to his information 130 police and Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel had been killed and 30 wounded in militants’ attacks on security posts in the past two months.

The casualties took place at 13 security posts located between Bala Buluk district and the provincial capital Farah City, as well as in Bakwa, Pushtrod and Pushtokoh districts. He said 11 security posts had fallen to Taliban and only two of them had been recaptured.

Ghafari said Taliban’s access to Russian weapons, night visions and security officials’ negligence and delay in sending reinforcements were reasons behind the increased Afghan forces casualties and the fall of security posts.

A provincial council member, Dadullah Qanay, said Afghan forces casualties had unprecedentedly increased. “Around 170 security men most of them policemen have suffered casualties in the past two months according to information we have obtained.”

He also said Taliban’s access to Russian weapons was main cause of Afghan forces casualties and security posts’ collapse to the rebels.

Qanay believed Taliban’s coordinated attacks on security posts was also a reason of the increased Afghan forces casualties.

He stressed increase in the number of security personnel and provision of equipment to security posts. He said the government must change security forces from defensive to offensive mode in order to defeat militants widely present in districts.

Farah governor’s spokesman, Mohammad Naser Mahravi, said Taliban militants stormed 15 security posts in different parts of the province over the past two months.

But he said the security posts had not fully fallen to Taliban but were reactivated after the rebels were pushed back. Work on providing more equipment to security posts was underway.

He confirmed a letter about casualties had been sent to the governor’s house but disputed figures reported by some sources about security forces’ fatalities. He said more than a hundred police and army personnel had suffered casualties in militant attacks.

Mahravi also confirmed the need for strengthening police ranks in Farah and a major meeting to the issue would be held soon.

Without giving details, he said Taliban’s access to advanced weapons helped them target Afghan forces from a distance.

“We don’t know who made these weapons available to Taliban, such advanced weapons are available with Afghan forces,” he said, adding that the militants had recently started attacking Afghan forces at night.

“This new tactic of militants has raised concerns and the deployment of foreign forces to Farah was based on a request after the increase in security challenges,” he said.

He said around 200 Italian and US forces were stationed in Farah to cooperate with Afghan forces in air and ground operations against the Taliban.

mds/ma