Taliban kill 22 Afghan commandos attempting to surrender: Report
The Taliban killed 22 Afghan commandos attempting to surrender in June, according to footage and multiple witnesses.
Taliban forces shot the members of an Afghan Special Forces Unit on June 16 in Dawlat Abad located in the Faryab Province close to Afghanistan’s border with Turkmenistan, footage revealed on Tuesday showed.
“This is not the first time the Taliban have shot dead our soldiers. The Taliban have no mercy on anyone — from the military to innocent civilians are executed. The Taliban cannot deny this crime. The video clearly shows the Taliban executing our soldiers after surrender,” Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman Fawad Aman told CNN.
One video of the attack showed several Afghan commandos walking out of a building unarmed while the words “surrender, commandos, surrender” can be heard in footage audio.
The commandos’ stockpile of ammunition was depleted after a fight ensued to hold the town, which allowed Taliban fighters to move in on the group, according to witness accounts.
TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL IN AFGHANISTAN TO STEP DOWN AMID WITHDRAWAL
“The commandos were surrounded by the Taliban. Then, they brought them into the middle of the street and shot them all,” one witness said.
The bodies of the 22 soldiers were confirmed to be retrieved after the fight, according to CNN, which cited the Red Cross.
After footage of the attack emerged in the media, the Taliban said that the video was fabricated government propaganda used to convince personnel not to surrender, and a spokesman for the Taliban said they were detaining 24 commandos apprehended in Faryab Province. The Taliban did not provide evidence to support the claim.
The U.S. military continues to withdraw from Afghanistan in accordance with President Joe Biden’s plan to leave the country by Sept. 11, two decades following the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
U.S. troops will finish leaving Afghanistan on Aug. 31, 12 days earlier than the target date set by the administration, Biden said Thursday.
The U.S. withdrawal from the country has left many residents concerned that the Taliban will attempt to retake control of the country.
Taliban forces have taken control of at least 222 districts in the Afghanistan region since July 13, according to the Long War Journal, which documents territorial control in the country.
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The Washington Examiner contacted the Red Cross and the Afghan Ministry of Defense but did not immediately receive a response.
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Tags: News, Taliban, Afghanistan, Middle East, Conflict
Original Author: Kaelan Deese
Original Location: Taliban kill 22 Afghan commandos attempting to surrender: Report
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