Taliban battle into west Afghan city in new crisis for government

REUTERS - Taliban fighters with heavy weapons and night-vision equipment fought their way close to the center of the western city of Farah today (May 15) as Afghan government forces battled to keep control, officials and residents said. Residents of Farah, capital of the province of the same name, have warned for months the city was vulnerable and the attack appeared to threaten a repeat of the Taliban's capture of the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly in 2015. Residents said Taliban forces began their attack at around 2.00 a.m. (2130 GMT) from several directions. Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Kabul, said security forces from neighboring provinces had been ordered to Farah to protect civilians and government buildings and said the Taliban had been pushed out of the city. There were no immediate casualty assessments but residents said there were wounded and dead on both sides as well as among the civilian population.