Taliban Special Forces. Illustrative image
On May 19, Taliban fighters launched a large scale attack at the border between the provinces of Daykundi and Ghazni in southeastern Afghanistan and captured ten positions of the Afghan Army and Police around center of the Ajristan district of Ghazni, according to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad.
The Taliban said that its fighters had imposed a strict siege on the Ajristan district center and the headquarter of the Afghan Police there after the successful attack.
According to the Voice of Jihad, the attack on Ajristan district is a part of the Taliban spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh”, which was launched on April 25 in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US military presence in Afghanistan.
Hamdullah, the governor of Ajristan district, confirmed in a phone call with the Afghan TOLO TV that the district center is currently besieged by the Taliban and warned of a tragedy if the district collapses. The governor also revealed that fourteen personals of the Afghan Army and Police were killed and ten others were injured during the clashes with Taliban fighters around the district center.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Aman Hamim, the governor of Ghazni province, said that preparations had been taken to deploy Afghan commando forces to Ajristan district, in what appears to be an attempt to break the Taliban siege.
Observer believe that only direct support from the NATO could repel the ongoing attack of the Taliban on Ajristan district center. Earlier this week, NATO warplanes played a key role in repelling a similar attack of the Taliban on Farah city in western Afghanistan.
