KABUL: At least 37 Afghan security force members, including soldiers and police, have switched sides to join the local Taliban in Uruzgan – taking their weapons with them, said officials Thursday.
District governor of Khas Urozgan, Abdul Karim Karimi confirmed the reports but said that a number of these defectors have since been killed by the Taliban after crossing over.
According to Karimi, security force members have been engaged in ongoing clashes with Taliban insurgents over the past 15 days. In addition, the Taliban have overrun a number of military posts in the area.
Last week officials said that heavy clashes have been the order of the day for over a week in the Khas Urozgan district. At that stage at least 10 posts had been reportedly seized by insurgents.
INP