Taliban take district in N. Afghanistan – official

The Taliban has captured another district in the northern province of Badakhshan, according to an Afghan official. The insurgents launched a surprise attack on Thursday in the strategic Kohistanat district, which is located along a route to the provincial capital, Fayz Abad, said Abdullah Naji Nazari, a provincial council member, according to AP. Nazari said no casualties were reported in the day-long assault. The captured district has become the third under Taliban control in Badakhshan, which has about two dozen districts. Army spokesman in nearby northern Balkh province, Mohammad Anif Rezaye, said reinforcements have arrived in Fayz Abad but are awaiting orders to move against the Taliban due to bad weather.