Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
The Taliban have killed at least 10 Afghan soldiers during heavy clashes to capture a provincial capital, and assassinated a top official in the capital, Kabul.
The militants intensified fighting on the outskirts of the provincial capital Sheberghan on Friday.
At least 10 Afghan soldiers and a commander of armed members belonging to the Abdul Rashid Dostum militia group, allied with the government, were killed in the northern province of Jowzjan.
“The Taliban launched violent attacks on the outskirts of Sheberghan this week and during heavy clashes a pro-government militia forces’ commander loyal to Dustom was killed,” said Abdul Qader Malia, the deputy governor of the province.
Head of Kabul media department assassinated
In an attack in Kabul, the militants shot dead the head of the Afghan government’s media information center at a mosque, said Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai.
“Unfortunately, the savage terrorists have committed a cowardly act once again and martyred a patriotic Afghan,” Stanikzai said.
In a message to media, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the assassination.
The assassination attack came days after the Taliban threatened to carry out more attacks against top government officials.
On Tuesday, a coordinated bomb-and-gun attack occurred near the residence of acting Defense Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi in downtown Kabul. Mohammadi survived the attack but at least eight people were killed and 20 others wounded.
The Taliban are now demanding a “the lion’s share of power” in any new government in Afghanistan, according the US special representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who warned on Tuesday that Afghanistan’s situation was rapidly deteriorating.
The United Nations (UN) also warned this week about the safety of tens of thousands of people trapped in the strategic city of Lashkar Gah — the capital of southern Helmand Province — as the Taliban intensified clashes with Afghan military forces to take control, there.
“Violence has only escalated and there is no way to assess the damage in Lashkar Gah as both sides are locked in an intense ground battle… it is hard to even recover bodies by aid agencies,” a senior Western security official said in Kabul.
On Thursday a bomb attack hit office of aid group Action Against Hunger, in Lashkar Gah.
“Civilians find themselves in between warring parties. They are being displaced from their homes and are often the first victims of the conflict,” said Mike Bonke, Action Against Hunger’s Country Director in Afghanistan.
“Humanitarian organizations like Action Against Hunger try their best to support people’s needs, but we need safety guarantees from all parties to be able to operate,” he said in a statement.
If captured, Lashkar Gah would be the first provincial capital to fall to the militant group. So far, they have taken control of some radio and TV stations in the city.
The government has, however, pledged to defend strategic centers after losing many rural districts to the Taliban in recent months.
