Developments in Afghanistan; Taliban enter Lashkar Gah and suburbs of Herat.
Last night, Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand and Herat provinces in the west of the country, witnessed heavy Taliban attacks, and the Taliban managed to enter some areas of Lashkar Gah.
The Taliban claimed that they managed to enter parts of Lashkar Gah city last night and advance in the city center, claiming to have captured the second security district of Lashkar Gah city in the center of Helmand province.
But Gen. Sami Sadat, the army commander in Helmand province, denied the Taliban’s claim, saying they had attacked but were repulsed by heavy security forces and suffered heavy casualties.
He said in a video last night that an average of 70 Taliban insurgents were killed in Lashkar Gah every 24 hours, and that the current situation was temporary and army would soon clear the area.
But residents of Lashkar Gah also announced last night that the situation in the city is dire and a large number of people are leaving the city, warning the country’s security agencies that if they do not act in time, the city will fall.
It was also reported from Herat province in western Afghanistan that the cities of Karkh and Guzara near the city of Herat were recaptured yesterday and the Taliban reached the outskirts of Herat.
Abdul Hakim Mirzaei, a resident of Herat, told IRNA that the Taliban also reached parts of Herat yesterday afternoon, but forces affiliated with Mohammad Ismail Khan, a former jihadi leader, resisted and were forced to retreat.
Unconfirmed reports also indicate that US B-52 fighter jets entered the area last night and bombed parts of Taliban-controlled areas in Herat.
Afghan news sources also reported that the UN office was also targeted and a security guard was killed in the attack.
