Ghazni City Is Under Full Control of Gov’t: Chief of Army Staff

Afghanistan’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said Tuesday that Afghan security forces have full control of Ghazni City.

He added that a clearance operation was underway in the city and it will expand to the districts of the province later.

At the same time, Deputy Interior Minister for Security Gen. Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi claimed that the Taliban were aided by Al Qaeda and Daesh affiliates to attack the city.

Provincial governor Wahidullah Kalimzai confirmed that about 30 civilians and more than a hundred security personnel had been killed.

Governor Kalimzai said that Salaam mobile network will be activated in the city in another few hours.

On Aug. 10, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked Ghazni city and fought with government forces for four days.

The development comes after fresh reinforcements led-by the Chief of Army Staff and Deputy Interior Minister for Security was deployed to the province to push Taliban back from the city center.

On Monday, the Minister of Defense Gen. Tariq Shah Bahrami put the number of dead Taliban fighters at about 200.

However, Taliban insurgent group still claims the group controls “all previously liberated points in Ghazni city”.