Militia deployment
The Afghan commandos clashed with insurgents for the first time in the provincial capital this week. Thousands of people fled Qala-i-Naw in the northwestern part of Badghis Province.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense said on Friday that government forces had “complete control” of the city, but a local official said on Saturday that the insurgents launched another attack at night.
On Saturday, the Taliban also claimed to have occupied an area in Laghman Province near Kabul.
About 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Iranian border, Ismail Khan was a veteran warlord whose fighters helped the US military overthrow Taliban 2001-pledged to support government forces in fighting the insurgents.
“We will go to the front line soon and change the situation with God’s help,” Khan told reporters in the western city of Herat.
According to a reporter from Agence France-Presse, hundreds of Khan fighters were deployed throughout the city and stationed at the city gates on Saturday.
