AlQa'dah 23, 1434, Sep 29, 2013, SPA -- Taliban fighters on Sunday overran a district headquarters in a remote and mountainous region of northern Afghanistan, their latest offensive in an insurgent campaign to regain territory as foreign troops withdraw from the country, according to officials. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said a group of insurgents took over the building after police evacuated the facility in Badakhshan province's Karan wa Munjan district to prevent any civilian casualties, AP reported. "This year the enemy is trying to show their existence in northern parts of the country and that is one of the reasons that they are attacking Badakhshan province, "Sediqi said. He pointed to a successful operation last week to clear insurgents from another district, Wurdoj, and said preparations were under way to retake the headquarters building. Sediqi added that the insurgents are only controlling the single building, which had a very small police presence. At least 18 Afghan policemen died in the Wurdoj operations along with 47 insurgents, the ministry said last week. Afghan officials regularly report high death tolls from battles in remote areas that are impossible to verify.
