Afghan Troops Plan Push to Relieve Besieged Provincial Capital
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Afghan forces are preparing a new offensive to clear Taliban militants encircling the capital of Afghanistan's province of Uruzgan, where the two sides have fought bitter clashes, officials said Saturday.
Street-to-street fighting in Tarin Kot, the provincial capital, where Taliban fighters rampaged to within a few meters (yards) of the government center Thursday, has quieted as the front line has moved 15 to 20 km (9 to 12 miles) away, said Dost Mohammed Nayab, the provincial governor's spokesman, Reuters reported.
"We have enough forces, ammunition and reinforcements at the moment," he said.
"We are working on a bigger plan to eliminate the Taliban from Uruzgan. We will have a massive operation in three or four days."
The Taliban attack, in one of Afghanistan's top opium-producing areas, reveals how thinly stretched Afghan security forces have become as they try to contain the insurgents fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government in Kabul.
Over the past few months, Afghan security forces have focused on foiling Taliban attacks in the southern province of Helmand and the northern city of Kunduz, besides battling Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
The militant group lost its grip over the country in 2001 in a US-led military invasion and has since retreated to rural areas, resorting to hit-and-run attacks on cities.
Its major achievement came last year when it managed to briefly capture Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz Province.
