Contact Admin. Updated August 13, Intense fighting in the Afghan city of Ghazni between Taliban and Afghan army forces has continued for a third day with both sides claiming control of the provincial capital. Afghan Army chief of staff Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said the city was not under threat of collapse and heavy fighting was underway to push back the Taliban from the city limits. But video posted by the Taliban on social media showed captured army vehicles and insurgents walking around and chatting with each other on empty, quiet streets.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents had taken the district centre of Khwajaumari, north of the city, and several areas in other districts of Ghazni province. A senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said about 80 members of the security forces, as well as an unknown number of civilians had been killed.
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Some media reports placed the number of security forces killed on multiple fronts around the country at Politicians from Ghazni who managed to talk to some residents said the Taliban were in control of much of the city.
Fighting in the year conflict intensified recently as the Afghan Government struggles to contain Taliban attacks. Taliban insurgents launched an attack on the city that lies on the key road between Kabul and Kandahar on Friday morning. US military headquarters in Kabul said American aircraft had conducted five strikes on Saturday and four more on Sunday, but details of the fighting were unclear as most of the city's telecommunications masts were destroyed in fighting over recent days.
Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said Afghan forces were engaged in a "clean-up operation", while acknowledging for the first time "some US advisers were on the ground".
