Al Jazeera News :
A Taliban assault on the Afghan strategic city of Ghazni has entered its fourth day, with the death toll climbing above 300, including at least 20 civilians, according to government officials.
Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami said on Monday “about 100 security forces” were killed in the intense fighting, as well “between 20 and 30 civilians”.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Kabul, Bahrami said 194 Taliban fighters, including 12 of their “key commanders” had also been killed, mostly by US air raids.
According to the US military headquarters in Kabul, US aircraft conducted at least nine air raids over Saturday and Sunday.
Afghan forces are battling the Taliban after the group stormed Ghazni city, the capital of the province with the same name and a strategic point linking Kabul with southern Afghanistan – on Friday.
Information coming out of the city remains patchy and difficult to confirm after fighting destroyed most of the telecoms masts and local news media stopped broadcasting.
Roads in and out of the city have been damaged and obstructed by Taliban forces to prevent Afghan reinforcements arriving but residents who escaped the violence on foot have described seeing dead bodies in the street and buildings on fire.
Rik Peeperkorn, acting UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, expressed concerns for civilians caught up in the fighting in Ghazni city, where he says hospitals are running out of medicine and conditions are too dangerous to transport those in need to hospital.
“[Ghazni’s residents] have seen their city turn into a battlefield since Friday morning … parties across the conflict need to ensure that access to medical services is not denied and respect for medical facilities and staff is upheld,” he said in a statement.
The attack comes as a severe blow to President Ashraf Ghani and has dampened hopes of possible peace talks with the Taliban to end the nearly 17-year-old war.
A Taliban assault on the Afghan strategic city of Ghazni has entered its fourth day, with the death toll climbing above 300, including at least 20 civilians, according to government officials.
Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami said on Monday “about 100 security forces” were killed in the intense fighting, as well “between 20 and 30 civilians”.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Kabul, Bahrami said 194 Taliban fighters, including 12 of their “key commanders” had also been killed, mostly by US air raids.
According to the US military headquarters in Kabul, US aircraft conducted at least nine air raids over Saturday and Sunday.
Afghan forces are battling the Taliban after the group stormed Ghazni city, the capital of the province with the same name and a strategic point linking Kabul with southern Afghanistan – on Friday.
Information coming out of the city remains patchy and difficult to confirm after fighting destroyed most of the telecoms masts and local news media stopped broadcasting.
Roads in and out of the city have been damaged and obstructed by Taliban forces to prevent Afghan reinforcements arriving but residents who escaped the violence on foot have described seeing dead bodies in the street and buildings on fire.
Rik Peeperkorn, acting UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, expressed concerns for civilians caught up in the fighting in Ghazni city, where he says hospitals are running out of medicine and conditions are too dangerous to transport those in need to hospital.
“[Ghazni’s residents] have seen their city turn into a battlefield since Friday morning … parties across the conflict need to ensure that access to medical services is not denied and respect for medical facilities and staff is upheld,” he said in a statement.
The attack comes as a severe blow to President Ashraf Ghani and has dampened hopes of possible peace talks with the Taliban to end the nearly 17-year-old war.
