KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2020) Six Taliban fighters have been killed on the spot during an airstrike in the village of Buka in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh, the MenaFN news outlet reported, citing a spokesman for the provincial military.
A Sputnik correspondent reported that the operation resulted in the deaths of seven civilians as well.
"The airstrike killed seven people in Buka village last night [Saturday] and it is said that all of them are from one family," a local source told Sputnik, adding that their bodies were brought to the Mazari Sharif provincial council as a sign of protest.
The National Security Council wrote in a statement that National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib had left for Balkh province with a senior delegation on Sunday to assess the security situation in the region.
Mohib held three different meetings on Sunday after arriving in Balkh province. He chaired a meeting of military and civilian leaders and ordered security forces to crackdown on terrorists and ensure the safety of the local population, the National Security Council said in a statement.
The advisor promised immediate action to target illegal armed and criminal groups during a meeting with elders in Balkh province's Chimtal district. Mohib also met with representatives from the National Directorate of Security in Balkh province, the National Security Council stated.
The Afghan government has long been engaged in a struggle with the Taliban movement, and various insurgent and militant groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist organization (both groups banned in Russia).
