QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 Afghan soldiers and police personnel and 15 Taliban militants have been killed in clashes in western province of Badghis as fighting rages in the country, a local official said on Monday.
In one incident, three army soldiers, 11 Afghan Local Police (ALP) personnel and 15 militants were killed after Afghan security forces fought back scores of armed militants who stormed security checkpoints in Qarjaghai locality of Qadis district Sunday night, Abdul Aziz Baig, an official of Provincial Council, told Xinhua.
The government established the ALP or community police in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence.
In similar clashes in Gandab, an area in Ab Kamari district, seven ALP police were killed and nine others wounded while casualties were also reflected on the side of militants during clashes which occurred on late Sunday, the official said.
"Several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle in Ab Kamari, but their number could not be exactly specified as the militants evacuated their casualties after the fighting," he said.
The province, 555 km northwest of Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and militants for long.
The violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces four years ago. Enditem
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