Taliban carry out strategic attacks close to three key cities

Taliban militants have made worrying progress towards the gates of three provincial capitals in the country in the past 24 hours, Afghan officials said.

According to officials, Taliban gains across territory came after they launched coordinated attacks in Helmand, Ghazni, and Zabul provinces in this time.

In Helmand, Taliban fighters carried out attacks on the outskirts of the provincial capital Lashkargah city just two days after the US forces withdrew from a local base. However, some sources claim clashes are ongoing inside the city.

Officials from the provincial public hospital said on Tuesday that at least 30 wounded people including five women were taken to the hospital in the past 24 hours.

In addition, hundreds of families have been displaced due to ongoing clashes in the city, local officials said.

“The Taliban’s latest terror attacks on Helmand must not be ignored. Their leaders in Doha must be asked why despite of freeing 6000 Taliban prisoners, foreign troops withdrawal, and meetings of foreign officials with Taliban in Doha, they continue to kill and maim the Afghans!?,” said Sediq Sediqqi, Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs for Strategy and Policies.

“The situation in Helmand is concerning. The government needs to take action as people have been displaced,” MP Farhad Bawari said.

However, Afghan commando forces have been deployed to Lashkargah to push back the Taliban, but MP Shegofa Noorzai stated that Helmand is on the verge of collapse.

“However, government forces have put in their efforts but if the Afghan forces do not take immediate action, the province will collapse,” she said.

Meanwhile, militants overran a military base on the outskirts of Ghazni city this week.

MP Arif Rahmani warned that the Taliban wants to capture Ghazni city once again.

“The situation in Ghazni is worrying. The Taliban wants to take control of Ghazni city before Eid-ul-Fitr. The group said they want to perform Eid prayers in Ghazni,” Rahmani said.

Moreover, the group reportedly has security forces under siege in the Qarabagh district of the province. The provincial officials, however, have not commented yet.

“Unfortunately, the Taliban have intensified clashes in parts of the country. The conflicts do not mean that the Afghan security forces will not respond to them; in Ghazni, Helmand, and Kandahar the group suffered heavy casualties,” Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, sources have said clashes are also underway close to Qalat city in Zabul province.

Officials have not yet commented about this.

In addition to this, reports Tuesday indicated that at least 22 members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group were killed in recent clashes in Helmand. Reports also indicate that dozens of security forces were also killed in the skirmish.