Reuters: Taliban 'special forces' lead Helmand assault: Afghan officials

Only a few days ago, this village of mud huts in southern Afghanistan was a battlefield.

Afghan security forces beat back attacks by encroaching Taliban fighters on Chah-e-Anjir, just 10 km (6 miles) from Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, but schools remain shuttered and many residents who fled are too scared to return.

Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and the heartland of the lucrative illicit drug trade, is seen as a strategic target for the militants who would win a major psychological victory by capturing the provincial capital.

Soldiers at the sharp end of the latest offensive described a battle that pitted increasingly well-armed and disciplined Taliban militants against Afghan special forces backed by U.S. air strikes.

"The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that are equipped with night vision and modern weapons," said Sayed Murad, a special forces commander.

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WNU Editor: What caught my eye in this report was this comment ....

.... "The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that are equipped with night vision and modern weapons," said Sayed Murad, a special forces commander.

Uniforms, night vision and modern weapons .... there is more to this story than what is being told. Sighhh .... the perception is that the Taliban are winning .... as the above video disturbingly shows.

More News On The Afghan War

Taliban overruns district in Afghanistan's Baghlan -- Al Jazeera
Taliban take key district in northern Afghanistan -- UPI
Taliban takes control of Dahana-e-Ghori in North of Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
Taliban Takes Key North Afghan District as Fighting Surges -- Bloomberg
Afghanistan Forces Struggle to Hold Firm Against Taliban in South -- New York Times
At least 2 wounded in bombing near US Embassy in Afghanistan -- AP
Taliban launch coordinated attack on Want Waigal district in Nuristan -- Khaama Press
Taliban pushes toward strategic provincial capital in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Islamic State faces uphill 'branding war' in Afghanistan, Pakistan -- Reuters
Officials: No Evidence of IS Presence in Southern Afghanistan -- VOA

Update: No one else is corroborating this report .... Breaking: ISIS claims it has assassinated US military commander in Kabul (Mirror).