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US launches airstrikes as Taliban attack Afghan city
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – US forces launched
airstrikes Friday to counter a major Taliban assault on an Afghan provincial
capital, where terrified residents cowered in their homes amid explosions and
gunfire as security forces try to beat the insurgents back.
Officials said Afghan special forces were also being deployed to the
southeastern city of Ghazni after the latest attempt by the Taliban to
capture an urban centre, with the assault coming as pressure builds on the
insurgents to enter peace talks.
At least one Afghan soldier has been killed and seven others wounded in the
fighting, provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori said.
Civilian houses and army checkpoints have come under mortar attack and the
bodies of dozens of Taliban fighters are in the streets, he added.
The Taliban began the attack late Thursday from several positions around
the city, provincial police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal said.
Residents who spoke to AFP said power has been cut to the area since
fighting erupted, with heavy gunfire ringing out across the city and a
government building set on fire.
“We are scared for our life. The Taliban are roaming everywhere in and
around the city,” shopkeeper Mohammad Haleem told AFP.
Another resident, Yasan, said the Taliban were using loudspeakers at the
mosque to warn residents to stay in their homes.
“Heavy explosions and gunfire can be heard. We are terrified,” Yasan wrote
in a Facebook post.
The US said that the city remained under government control.
“U.S. Forces responded with close-air support this morning in #Ghazni,” the
official account for US Forces in Afghanistan tweeted Friday.
“Afghan forces held their ground and maintain control of all govt. centers.
Another failed attempt by Taliban to seize terrain, while creating
strategically inconsequential headlines,” it continued.
MORE/MR/ 1250 hrs
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A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said the Taliban had suffered heavy
casualties in the onslaught and confirmed the airstrikes.
“Commando forces are on their way, and black hawks are hitting important
enemy targets,” wrote Shahhussain Murtazawi in a post on social media.
Police special forces have also been deployed to help block the Taliban
advance on the city, an Afghan security official said.
The Taliban issued a statement claiming to have captured “most of the
government buildings inside the city”.
“So far 140 enemy forces have been killed or wounded,” the group said.
The Taliban frequently exaggerate their battlefield gains and downplay
losses incurred during fighting.
– Growing pressure –
Afghan forces have been struggling to hold back the resurgent militant
group since the withdrawal of NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.
In May the Taliban attacked the western city of Farah. After a day of
intense fighting, Afghan commandos and US air strikes drove the group to the
outskirts of the city.
The insurgents have also so far ignored an offer by Ghani in February of
unconditional peace negotiations.
However there are tentative signs that diplomatic efforts to bring the
insurgents to the table for peace talks may be starting to bear fruit.
The Taliban has long insisted on direct talks with the United States.
Washington has repeatedly refused, saying negotiations must be Afghan-led.
But Washington indicated a change in its longstanding policy in June when
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was prepared to
“support, facilitate and participate” in talks.
Pompeo also said the role of foreign forces in Afghanistan would be on the
table.
Last month Taliban representatives met US officials for talks in Qatar.
Anticipation has also been mounting about the possibility of a government
ceasefire announcement for the Islamic holiday of Eid-al Adha later this
month.
An unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and
the Taliban to a temporary halt, giving war-weary Afghans some welcome relief
from violence.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1250 hrs