Afghan forces battle Taliban for control
KABUL/BRUSSELS: The Afghan air force carried out more airstrikes against Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, as the insurgent force made additional gains in the country’s north.
A defence ministry statement said airstrikes were carried out across the country, including in the southern Helmand province, where the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah is being fiercely contested. The Taliban control nine of the city’s 10 police districts.
Dr Sher Ali Shaker, head of Helmand’s public health department said that in the past 24 hours at least three civilians were killed and 40 more including women and children were wounded during battles in Lashkar Gah city.
In northern Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of most of the provincial capital of Sar-ePul, the head of its council, Mohammad Noor Rahmani said. In recent months, the group has gained control of dozens of districts across several provinces in the north.
Meanwhile, Jawzjan province in the north remains under a three-month Taliban attack, with most of its districts having surrendered to the Taliban without a fight. The stronghold of Rashid Dostum, an Uzbek warlord, it has lost eight out of ten districts to the insurgents, who continue to advance on the capital, Shibirghan city.
Dustom returned to Afghanistan on Wednesday and plans to lead the fight in Shibirghan after an agreement with President Ashraf Ghani, his spokesman Ehsan Nero said.
In the west, Taliban attacked seven different parts of Herat city but were defeated, said Jelani Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Farhad said that three Afghan security personnel were killed and four others wounded.
EU calls for ceasefire
The European Union on Thursday condemned the Taliban’s latest deadly attacks in Afghanistan and demanded “an urgent, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire”. In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU commissioner for aid and crisis management Janez Lenarcic accused the Taliban of breaking its promise to seek a negotiated peace.
India left out of summit India has not been invited to a crucial meeting being convened by Russia on the situation in Afghanistan that is expected to see the participation of Pakistan, China and the US, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.
The ‘extended Troika’ meeting is scheduled to be held in Qatar on August 11. Talks under the format had earlier taken place on March 18 and April 30.