Taliban Seizes Army Base and Ongoing Battle in Ghazni

Taliban fighters have seized an operational base of the Afghan National Army in the north of the country, and in the city of Ghazni, which has been captured by the Taliban, battles between government forces and militants continue for the fifth consecutive day. Ghafour Ahmad Jawad, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, stated that Taliban fighters captured this base in the Ghorimach district of Faryab province on Monday evening. He added that in this conflict, 17 Afghan soldiers were killed and 19 others were injured. Mohammad Hanif Razaee, a spokesman for the Afghan army, said that when the Taliban attack began on Sunday, 100 soldiers were stationed at this base. He added, "The fall of this base to the enemy is a disaster. Some of the soldiers were killed, some were captured, and others fled to the surrounding hills." Hashim Atagh, a representative of Faryab province in the Afghan parliament, stated that about 40 Afghan soldiers have been taken captive by the Taliban. On the other hand, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed that 57 soldiers surrendered to the Taliban and 17 others were captured. He added that the Taliban seized eight Humvee armored vehicles that the U.S. provides to the Afghan army. Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, head of the local council in Faryab, said the reason for the base's fall was that no reinforcements were sent, and the ammunition, food, and water for the soldiers stationed at the base had run out. The battles in Ghazni began with a Taliban attack early Thursday and the capture of this city, which is located along the highway between Kabul and the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Military officials say Afghan forces, with air support, later managed to drive the Taliban fighters out of most parts of Ghazni city. Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, said on Tuesday that security forces are searching the city to find Taliban fighters. Ghazni has a population of about 270,000 and is the seventh-largest city in Afghanistan. Nasir Ahmad Fakiri, a member of the Ghazni local council, wrote on his Facebook page that Taliban fighters have retreated from the inner parts of the city to the outskirts of Ghazni, which is under Taliban control. Nevertheless, the Taliban announced that sporadic clashes are still ongoing within the city. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan reported that between 110 and 150 civilians have been killed and injured in the battle for Ghazni, although it emphasized that the casualty figures are still not precise. Yesterday, Tariq Shah Bahrami, the Afghan Minister of Defense, stated that about 100 police and soldiers and at least 20 civilians have been killed in the Ghazni battles. He added that 341 Taliban fighters have also been killed or injured. Given the disruption of telephone communications with Ghazni city due to recent battles, confirming information coming from this city is difficult. Since the withdrawal of the majority of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014, the central government, supported by the West, has been unable to contain the activities of the Taliban and other insurgent groups.