The Balamorghab ambush occurred on November 27, 2008, when a force of Afghan security forces was attacked by Taliban insurgents. The ambush took place near Balamorghab in Badghis Province, in Northwestern Afghanistan, and resulted in heavy casualties for the government forces. It was described as "one of the most humiliating attacks the Afghan security forces had ever suffered". Badghis province has seen a marked increase in insurgent activity, and while in 2007 the number of Taliban militants was estimated at 200, by 2008 it had grown to over 2,000. In March 2008, an Afghan intelligence operation succeeded in arresting Mawlawi Ghulam Dastagir, one of the principal Taliban commanders in Badghis. However, in September a delegation of...