Afghan special forces have launched a major offensive operation in Lashkargah, the besieged provincial center of the southern province of Helmand, as thousands of soldiers from special forces rushed to the city. The government has asked civilians to evacuate from the Taliban-held areas. 

The city has become the first provincial center the insurgent group almost took control of. Of the total 10 districts, the Taliban has been controlling nine. Hibatullah Alizai, the commander of Special Operations Corps, has said that they have intensified airstrikes in the city. 

A report in the TOLOnews said that the Taliban’s designated governor for the province was also killed in the fighting there. The government claimed over 40 Taliban fighters have been killed on Wednesday. Fighting has been going on in the city for over ten days now and Taliban fighters were using homes of civilians as their fighting positions. 

Besides the capital, the Taliban has also taken control of 12 of the total 13 districts of the province. 

The Afghan government is aiming to deny provincial centers to the Taliban. Having taken control of half of Afghanistan’s over 400 districts, the Taliban has not been controlling any of the provincial centers. However, many of them in northern provinces are actively contested by the Taliban.

Chloe Hadavas, the assistant editor of Foreign Policy magazine, wrote this week in one of the morning briefs, “If Lashkar Gah falls, it would be a devastating setback for the Kabul government, which promised to defend provincial capitals after losing ground to the Taliban in rural areas.”

Similarly in Herat city, the provincial center of Herat province, the Taliban repeated offensives to break into the city have been foiled by the government forces and local uprising forces led by Ismail Khan. On Wednesday, Khan said the war in Herat was led by Pakistanis and called upon his people to rise up against the invaders. 

On Thursday, Afghan officials claimed that the group has been mobilizing thousands of fighters from nearby provinces and districts to Herat. 

Meanwhile, the Taliban has been facing growing resistance against themselves in many cities they have recently taken control of. In almost all major cities, anti-Taliban protests have become a common phenomenon. In the protest, the slogan “Allahu Akbar” is being chanted in the support of the government forces and against the Taliban. 

The protests and the usage of the slogan led the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid to issue a statement. He claimed that it was their slogan and they had been using it for over two decades now to fight the invaders and seculars, a veiled reference the group uses for the Afghan government. He also warned people joining these protests, saying they would be dealt with. 
(SAM)