KABUL, May 10 (Xinhua) — Anti-government militants have stepped up activities against government interests elsewhere in the conflict-hit Afghanistan as three districts have fallen to the insurgents over the past one week.
Taliban militants in the latest achievements overrun the statically important Tala-o-Barfak district in the northern Baghlan province on Tuesday night putting the government forces into defensive positions.
According to local observers, if the Taliban were able to keep control over Tala-o-Barfak district which connects Baghlan to the central Bamyan province, the militant group would be able to tighten the noose around neighboring Kohmard and Sighan districts in Bamyan.
The militants have also captured Bilchiragh district in the northern Faryab province and Kohistan district in Badakhshan province, inflicting casualties on security forces, according to media reports, besides capturing arms and ammunitions, over the past few days.
Although the government forces have recaptured Bilchiragh district in the northern Faryab province and have been fighting back to evict militants from the remaining Kohistan and Tala-o-Barfak districts, Afghans have doubted government’s ability to root out militants and bring about lasting peace in the country.
“It has been 13 days since we left our houses due to conflict in Tishkan district of Badakhshan but we have not received any humanitarian assistance from government, nor military operations to oust militants from our villages,” complained a displaced person in talks with local television channel Tolo on Thursday.
Meantime, an army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said that the security forces would chase militants elsewhere to ensure viable peace in the country.
The Taliban outfit launched its so-called annual spring offensive on April 25 and since then fierce fighting has erupted in parts of the country.
Both the Taliban and the hardliner Islamic State group claimed responsibility for attacks on police stations in Kabul on Wednesday that left over two dozen people dead and injured besides damaging properties at nearby buildings.
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