Taliban surround central Afghan city of Ghazni: officials

Published July 12, 2021
Members of the Afghan Special Forces pray on a highway before a combat mission against the Taliban, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 11. — Reuters
Members of the Afghan Special Forces pray on a highway before a combat mission against the Taliban, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 11. — Reuters

Taliban fighters have surrounded the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, taking over civilians' homes to fight security forces, officials said on Monday, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents.

The offensive was the latest on a provincial capital as the Taliban make a fresh push to surround cities and gain territory, emboldened by the departure of foreign forces.

"The situation in Ghazni city is very critical ... the Taliban use civilian houses as hideouts and fire upon the ANDSF (Afghan security forces), this makes the situation very difficult for the ANDSF to operate against the Taliban," said Hassan Rezayi, a member of Ghazni's provincial council.

Violence has surged in the country since US President Joe Biden announced in April that American troops would withdraw by Sept 11, ending 20 years in Afghanistan.

The US general leading the war in Afghanistan, Austin Miller, is to relinquish command on Monday, in a symbolic end to America's longest conflict.

Peace talks between the Taliban and the government have nominally been continuing in Qatar's capital but officials say they are making little progress.

Clashes between the two sides are also continuing in the southern province of Kandahar where the Taliban traditionally have had a strong presence, locals said. Ghazni is on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar city.

"Since the past four days, armed Taliban are attacking ... Kandahar city from the western direction," said Hamidzai Lalay, a former member of parliament who is fighting with armed men against the Taliban in Kandahar. "Afghan security forces, including special forces, are fighting the Taliban and trying to push them back."

Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the situation in Kandahar was "completely under control of ANDSF" which had carried out air and ground operations in recent days.

So far, the Taliban have not been able to hold provincial capitals but they have put pressure on Afghan security forces to respond to offensives around the country.

On Sunday, security forces, with the help of air strikes, repelled an assault by Taliban fighters on Taluqan, the provincial centre of a key northern province bordering Tajikistan.

Last week, Taliban fighters entered the capital of the western province of Badghis, seizing police and security facilities and attempting to take over the governor's office before special forces pushed them back.

Opinion

Editorial

Ukraine initiative
Updated 21 Feb, 2025

Ukraine initiative

Whether Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative succeeds or not, it will be difficult for Kyiv, Europe to face Russian military machine without US support.
High cost of SOEs
21 Feb, 2025

High cost of SOEs

THERE are losses and then some. The finance ministry’s latest overview of the federally owned state enterprises...
Poor impression
21 Feb, 2025

Poor impression

RECENT developments in the Senate have provided cause for concern on how parliamentary business is being conducted....
Premature alarm
Updated 20 Feb, 2025

Premature alarm

Improvement in headline inflation gives policymakers chance to fix investment policies, implement structural reforms.
Forsaken province
20 Feb, 2025

Forsaken province

AND the endless cycle of violence continues. The brutal killing on Tuesday night of seven Punjab-bound passengers in...
In poor health
20 Feb, 2025

In poor health

THE absence of decent and affordable healthcare in the country continues to ruin lives. An example of this is ...