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At least 100 security forces killed in fight for Afghan city: minister
KABUL, Aug 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – At least 100 security forces have been
killed in the ongoing struggle to push the Taliban from the embattled Afghan
city of Ghazni, a government minister said Monday, four days after the
fighting began.
The announcement came as fresh reinforcements were deployed to the
provincial capital and air strikes targeted Taliban positions, according to
defence minister Tariq Shah Bahrami.
“About 100 security forces have lost their lives and between 20 and 30
civilians have been killed,” Bahrami told a press conference in Kabul.
“194 enemy fighters, including 12 of their key commanders, have also been
killed,” he added. At least 95 Taliban combatants were killed in the air
strikes, Bahrami said.
Communication networks remained mostly down, and officials have been
reticent to speak about the situation in the city, making any information
difficult to verify.
The onslaught on Ghazni is the latest attempt by the Taliban to overrun
an urban centre, and comes as pressure increases on the insurgents to begin
peace talks with the government to end the nearly 17-year-old war.
It is also the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since
an unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and
the Taliban to a temporary pause, providing war-weary Afghans some welcome
relief.
Ghazni lies along the major Kabul-Kandahar highway, effectively serving
as a gateway between Kabul and the militant strongholds in the south.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1820 hrs