Government officials and insurgent sources in southern Afghanistan say at least 70 Afghan soldiers have defected to the Taliban while 85 others were killed in days of fierce fighting.
Mirza Khan Rahimi, governor of the volatile Helmand province, told reporters Saturday that the defections occurred in Sangin district, and that the soldiers joined the Taliban with their weapons and equipment.
The southern Afghan province has been a traditional heartland of the Taliban where clashes between insurgents and Afghan security forces have been raging in several districts for nearly a month, including Lashkar Gah, Marjah.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, said five Afghan national army commanders are among the soldiers who “repented their mistakes and surrendered to Mujahideen (Taliban fighters)” along with five armored personnel carriers, weapons and ammunition.