The Taliban on Tuesday night launched an assault on Spin Boldak district in the southern province of Kandahar and captured the Spin Boldak crossing along the Durand Line, local sources in the province said on Thursday. The Durand Line serves as a de facto border with Pakistan.

Sources stated that fierce battles were also reported in the PD6, PD7 and PD8 areas of Kandahar city including Kandahar’s Arghandab province. Reports say that at least 11 civilians were killed and 41 others were wounded as a result of the fighting.

All victims were transferred to Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar city.

20 out of 34 provinces saw fighting in the past 24 hours. The Taliban also launched attacks on Ghazni city and Lashkargah city in the center of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

“There is heavy fighting in Spin Boldak, only a few parts of the district remain, all checkpoints  have collapsed,” said Qudratullah, a resident in Spin Boldak.

“Kandahar city has faced lots of damage due to security issues, many people were displaced from their homes,” said Niaz Mohammad, a resident in Kandahar.

There are also reports that a girls school was torched in the Haidar Abad area of Ghazni city. The Taliban has rejected involvement.

“We witnessed the torching of the school in Haidar Abad which is only 3 kilometers away from the governor’s office, this situation is not bearable to the people of Ghazni,” said Naseer Faqiri, the head of Ghazni's provincial council.

In Baghlan province local people have taken arms in support of Afghan security forces to fight the Taliban.

Fighting was also reported in Kunduz province.

“Fighting was going on in the road leading to Imam Sahib district and in the outskirts of Kunduz city,” said Mohammad Yousuf Ayoubi, the head of the Kunduz provincial council. 

Meanwhile, the Afghan security agencies said that soon the security situation in the country will change. They also said that the Afghan security forces have been inflicting major casualties on the Taliban on the battlefield.

“1369 (Taliban) fighters were killed during recent operations including their key commanders and intelligence officials,” said Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman to ANDSF.

The Taliban also claimed to have downed an Afghan Air Force plane in Kunduz province. But the Afghan government has denied the claims.