Afghan fighting claims over 80 lives in 24 hours

AVA- In a bloody clash that flared up in Tash Kotal area of Khawja Ghar district of the northern Takhar province on Friday, five Taliban militants and one police constable were killed while five others including four militants and a police officer were injured, district governor Mohammad Omar confirmed.
Similarly, the Taliban fighters launched massive offensive to capture Burka district in the northern Baghlan province early Friday, but the attempts were foiled and the militants fled leaving 30 bodies behind and 10 more injured, provincial government spokesman Mahmoud Haqmal told media.
According to the official, seven security personnel were killed and four others injured in the firefight.
The government forces pounded Taliban hideouts from ground and air in parts of the southern Uruzgan province over the past 24 hours, leaving 24 insurgents dead and injured three others, an army statement said.
Operations against armed militants have also killed six Taliban fighters in Khakriz and Miwand districts of the southern Kandahar province since Thursday, said an army statement on Friday.
A total of 12 militants were confirmed dead as government forces launched cleanup operations outside Ghazni city, the capital of the eastern Ghazni province on Thursday, provincial government spokesman Arefu Nuri said Friday.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Majahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, disputed the claims made by the officials, saying that dozens of security personnel were killed over the period.
Both the government forces and the Taliban fighters, according to Afghan observers, have intensified operations to gain more grounds and gain the upper hand in any possible talks.