...the Pashtun equivalent of men...conducted heavy attacks on the centers of Lashkargah city in Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
and Sheberghan city in Jawzjan province in the last 24 hours, entering some key government facilities.
In Jawzjan, the group made some progress until Friday afternoon, but soon they were pushed back from the city.
The Defense Ministry in a statement late on Friday evening said the center of Sheberghan city was retaken by Afghan troops -- who were supported by Air Force and the local forces loyal to former vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum
...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier...
Jawzjan politicians said that heavy fighting was underway near the police headquarters, the office of the intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS), and the governor’s office in Sheberghan.
Mawlavi Abdul Hai, a member of the Jawzjan provincial council, said the security agencies are not paying the required attention to the province.
"Jawzjan is also part of the geography of Afghanistan," he said.
"The soldiers who fought for three or four months in Jawzjan were killed or maimed today. For God's sake, when you will address the issue of Sheberghan?" said MP Halima Sadaf Rahimi.
In Helmand, meanwhile, fighting continues in Lashkargah city’s District 1. Videos on social media show shops have caught fire in the ongoing festivities between government forces and the Taliban.
"What the central government is doing? Stop the violence," said Mahmoud Khan, a civil society activist in Helmand.
"Civilians have been killed there. Government forces have been killed. Taliban have been killed, but no one is there to address this problem," said Akhtar Mohammad, a presidential adviser.
Taliban attacked Lashkargah city a week ago, but the Afghan Special Forces
...established in 2007 with the intent of taking one conventional infantry kandak (battalion) from each of the regional ANA corps, giving them special training and equipment, and reorganizing based on the U.S. Army Rangers. Each battalion is assigned to one of the six regional corps. The commandos comprise 7% of the Afghan National Security Forces but conduct 70% to 80% of the fighting...
launched an operation to repel their attack.
Helmand residents said there has been no progress in the operations in terms of pushing back the Taliban from strategic areas in the city.
"Afghan forces conducted air and ground operations in Jawzjan and Helmand. Our operations will continue," Defense Ministry front man Rohullah Ahmadzai said.
The Defense Ministry said that 406 Taliban fighters 209 more were maimed in Afghan forces operations in various parts of the country in the last 24 hours. Taliban has rejected the claim.
There were casualties among security forces as well. Sources said that at least 10 security force members, including a security officer for Farah, were killed in the province.
Moreover, five non-combatants were killed in a mortar attack in Maidan Wardak district, local sources said. The government blamed the Taliban for the attack.