Afghan security forces have continued their push against Taliban strongholds in the increasingly restive northern province of Faryab. Senior Afghan officials revealed earlier today that their forces killed a Taliban shadow district governor, Mullah Shafiq, along with a Taliban military leader in an operation yesterday near the border with Turkmenistan.
More details were provided by Afghan TOLOnews:
Local officials on Sunday confirmed the killing of Taliban shadow district governor, Muallah Shafiq and a Taliban leader during an Afghan Security Forces’ operation in northern Faryab province Saturday. Officials further added that there were no Afghan Forces casualties.
The incident took place in the Qurghan district after the Security Forces targeted Mullah Shafiq and the Taliban leader in the area.
“We had information that the Taliban shadow district governor for Qurghan and the commander were passing through the area. The Security Forces were ready to target them,” said Gen. Nabi Jan Mullahkhil, Provincial Police chief.
The killing of Mullah Shafiq marks the sixth time that a Taliban-designated shadow administrator has been killed since June.
Clashes in northern Afghanistan’s Jawzjan, Balkh, and Faryab provinces on July 6 resulted in the deaths and capture of numerous Taliban fighters and commanders. Among those killed were the Taliban-designated provincial shadow deputy governors for Jawzjan and Balkh provinces, Mullah Ahmad Shah and Mullah Ismail, according to Afghan National Army commander Jagran Merza, who spoke with Ariana News. [See Threat Matrix report, Senior Taliban commanders killed in northern Afghanistan.]
On June 29, Afghan security forces killed Mullah Fatiullah, the district shadow governor for the Kashrud-Chakhansour districts of Nimroz province. [See Threat Matrix report, Taliban shadow district governor killed in Nimroz province.]
A couple of weeks earlier, a joint Afghan and Coalition night raid on June 13 in northern Kunduz province left seven militants dead, including the Taliban’s shadow governor for the Dasht-e-Archi district, Qari Mohammad Halim. [See Threat Matrix report, Taliban shadow district governor killed in Afghan security operation.]
And on June 8, a senior Taliban commander and acting shadow district chief for the Narai district in Kunar province was reportedly gunned down during a dispute among local Taliban militants, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.
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3 Comments
this ‘Shadow thing’ has got to be ‘wearing’ a bit ‘thin’ by now. ‘Sounds’ like the informant network in ‘this part’ of Afghanistan seems to be ‘working’ well….
“The killing of Mullah Shafiq marks the sixth time that a Taliban-designated shadow administrator has been killed since June.” Drones have changed the focus of warfare. Prior to drones, armies were destroyed by first eliminating the lowest ranks in massive blood baths. With drones, armies can be destroyed in the proper manner, generals first, privates last.
The continued disruptions of large scale attacks and the ongoing successful targeting and persecution of shadow governors suggests to me that someone (?) is doing some really good intelligence work.
There appears to be good linkage between intelligence and action, at least for smaller, selective units. Anyone want to speculate on why this kind of effectiveness doesn’t seem to scale?