Fierce clashes erupt between Taliban, Afghan forces over Ghazni

Fierce clashes have broken out between Taliban and Afghan government forces as the militants launched an all-out offensive to seize the central city of Ghazni.

According to Press TV, the fighting erupted near security checkpoints in the Shaikh Ajal and Ganj area of Ghazni city on Tuesday, forcing shopkeepers to shut the main market in the central province of the same name.

Local officials said the Taliban militants used explosives in an attempt to take control of the city while Afghan troops tried to repel the attack and managed to regain control of areas captured by the militants in the outskirts of Ghazni.

"The situation in Ghazni is changing, most of the lost areas in the outskirts are being taken back by the Afghan forces," said Abdul Jami, a provincial council member in Ghazni.

Jami said roads into the area were closed and telecommunications interrupted, which made it hard for Afghan aid groups and officials to assess the number of casualties.

The Taliban have for years had a strong presence in the central Province of Ghazni, but provincial police officials said the Tuesday’s attack was the fiercest launched by the militants.

Afghan officials said young civilians were actively joining the battle against the Taliban as government forces are combating the militants in Ghazni and other parts of the country.

Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman for the Afghan defense and security forces, said Afghans keen to take up arms against the Taliban were being absorbed in army forces.

"First they will be trained then they will be deployed to the battlefield along with other Afghan security forces," Shinwari said in a news briefing in the capital city Kabul.

The spokesman also said over 6,000 Taliban militants have been killed and more than 3,400 others injured over the past month as fighting continues in the war-torn country.

ME