Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have started a joint operation with Isaf soldiers to clear insurgents from the Disho district of southern Helmand province, provincial officials said Thursday.
The Disho district operation, named Oqab (Eagle), began Wednesday, deploying 500 troops from Afghan national police, army, and security, officials told TOLOnews.
"The Taliban are not capable of fighting in face-to-face clashes," said Mahmood Mahmood, commander of Zone 6 of border police in Helmand. "Sometimes they move to another place as passengers using transportation, and then organise their attacks."
According to officials in Helmand, there are militants from many nations in Disho.
"Besides the Afghan Taliban, there are militants from Pakistan, Chechnya, and also other nationalities who organise insurgent activities in this district. That is why we are running the operation under the name Oqab," Abdul Ghaffar of the 2nd battalion of Helmand border police said.
Local residents told TOLOnews they will cooperate with the military operation as they are tired of the insurgents' activities.
"We will cooperate with the security forces. We can't stand harassment from armed opposition anymore," a resident said.
Meanwhile officials in eastern Nuristan province have said that a local Taliban leader and one of his "followers" has been killed in the Waygal district in an airstrike by Isaf forces.
Provincial Spokesman Zahir Bahand told TOLOnews that the pair were killed while they were trying to carry out an insurgent attack.
Isaf said in its operations update on Thursday that two insurgents were killed in a joint operation in Waygal district on Wednesday, however it did not mention how they were killed or whether one of them was a Taliban leader.
"An Afghan and coalition security force killed two insurgents during an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Waygal district, Nuristan province, yesterday. The leader is believed to be the top Taliban official in Waygal district, responsible for leading attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, conducting illegal checkpoints and kidnapping Afghan officials," Isaf said.