The Taliban have toppled most of Ghazni’s police checkpoints in the past three days. Taliban affiliates have tightened the siege of Ghazni on several fronts. The fighting reached two kilometers from Ghazni province yesterday evening and the city was in a semi-closed state.
According to Ghazni residents, the Taliban have moved into homes and are trying to wage war on key government offices in the province. Panic has increased among the residents of Ghazni, especially in the areas of Bakawol, Nawabad, Qala-e-Shahada, Tawheedabad, Hyderabad and Qala-e-Amir Mohammad Khan.
Security officials in Ghazni province meet every day, but nothing is seen in practice. Ghazni residents are calling on the Ghazni provincial leadership to repel Taliban attacks instead of holding a meeting. Arif Wahedi, a former deputy governor of Ghazni, says the city is in a fragile state and the air force needs to be used. “More than that, the meeting no longer makes sense, everyone should be in the trenches,” he said.
However, some government media activists in the center write with all their might about the normalcy of the security situation in Ghazni, but the fact is that the war has taken place very close to home and in the alleys and back alleys of a number of areas inside the city of Ghazni.
Ghazni residents say the government should have tightened its checkpoints to prevent the Taliban from reaching the provincial capital a few hundred meters away. Yaseer Zakawat, a resident of Ghazni, says the fighting in the Nawabad area of Ghazni has now intensified. According to him, Nawabad is a battleground between security forces and the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Nasir Ahmad Faqiri, chair of the Ghazni Provincial Council, says fighting is currently taking place in the suburbs and inside Ghazni city. Mr. Faqiri added, “In the last two days, we have witnessed the loss of the fifth security district of the police. Now, there is a fierce clash in the sixth security district. There is also a war going on in the first, second, third and sixth districts of Ghazni city.” He also said that in most cases we see the Taliban forcibly entering the houses of the residents.
He states that the security forces have not yet allowed the Taliban to enter the city of Ghazni, so they call on the central government officials to pay serious attention to Ghazni, and if they do not, Ghazni residents will naturally see the tragedy of several years ago.
In October 2018, Taliban fighters attacked Ghazni city from several points. Hundreds of families in the province were affected by the attack. The Taliban set fire to a number of shops, markets and government offices during the attack.
“The situation in Ghazni is critical,” Nasir Ahmad Faqiri said. “Families face serious problems. Most of the families have left their homes and came to the heart of the city. The Taliban have surrounded the four corners of Ghazni city.”
Mohammad Arif Rahmani, a representative of the Ghazni people in the House of Representatives, says that the existing capacity and capability of the security forces in Ghazni is being used properly. He adds, “We are concerned about the security situation in Ghazni, but there is a very serious resistance against the Taliban. There are very strong people at the command level and at the strategic level of the security forces.”
At the same time, he called for the broad participation of the people and citizens of Ghazni in supporting the security forces, and stated that with the support of the people, the war situation in Ghazni would soon change.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense says that there are enough forces and facilities in Ghazni province and the Taliban attacks will be repelled soon. Fawad Aman, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, told 8 Subh that there were clashes on the outskirts of the city, but that sufficient commando forces were stationed in Ghazni and were trying to repel threats of an attack on Ghazni city center. He also stated, “One problem is that the Taliban are moving into houses so we have to be cautious in our operations.”
Ghazni is one of the most insecure provinces in the country. Most districts in the province are under Taliban control. Currently, only Jaghori, Malistan and Nahoor districts of the province are under the control of security forces. These districts are also under serious threat from the Taliban. The Taliban have also been active in these districts.
