Afghanistan activated a new special security unit to check the movement of the Taliban insurgents. The unit comprises personnel from Afghan National Police, Army, and National Directorate of Services, TOLOnews reported. 

The trial phase of the unit has already started in Farah province, Interior Minister Massoud Andrabi informed parliament. He also added the unit will increase its activities in other provinces this summer. 

Andrabi said Afghan forces had killed thousands of Taliban insurgents in southern Kandahar and Helmand province and the security situation has improved in recent weeks. Andrabi, however, warned the group would mount full-scale attacks on southern provinces in the next fighting season. 

Taliban has adopted the strategy of targeting killings and assassinations to instill fear among the public, he said. 

Gen Ahmad Zia Siraj, the head of the National Directorate Security, informed the Afghan lawmakers, the Taliban hasn’t cut their ties with foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier, reports by the United Nations monitoring team also mentioned that the group continues to have a relationship with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. 

The NDS chief said perpetrators of five attacks on journalists were also arrested. In 2020, around eight media workers, including 5 journalists, were killed in targeted assassinations.