Local security sources in Ghazni province said that the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) were engaged in a heavy firefight with Taliban insurgents after the group launched an attack last night on the Shahrak-e-Muhajirin area of the provincial capital Ghazni city.

According to the sources, the Taliban managed to infiltrate the area and raise their flag. However, the security forces later began pushing back the Taliban fighters from the area.

Meanwhile, in northern Afghanistan, a number of experts have raised deep concerns over the fragile security situation.

Referring to the recent evacuation of security forces from the districts, Abdul Latif Pedram, the head of the Afghanistan National Congress party, said that the withdrawal of security forces from some districts in the northern part of the country is linked to political and economic rivalries.

In southern Afghanistan, footage provided by the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) shows the Taliban gathering bodies of slain fighters in Arghandab district of Kandahar after an air strike by the Afghan Air Force.

“107 Taliban fighters were killed in the past 24 hours as a result of operations by the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces in 12 provinces, and dozens more wounded, in other areas. The Taliban’s attacks were repelled and our forces are now advancing toward the northeast,” said Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman to the Ministry of Defense.

“If today the north is facing a problem, this can spread to the other provinces tomorrow,” said Hessamuddin Taluqani, a resident in Takhar.

“There are a large number of forces in the districts and in the provinces, but there is no morale and motivation,” said a civil society activist in Takhar, Zaman Khan.

“The north is along Russia’s geopolitical border, it is also located on borders alongside China, additionally, there are the questions of political and economic interests in the north, major wars are sought in the north, there is also the issue of rivalry between America, China, Russia and India,” said Abdul Latif Pedram, the head of National Congress party.

In the past two months, the security forces have evacuated 196 districts.