Afghan Special Forces prepare themselves for battle with the Taliban on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah capital of Helmand, Afghanistan October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Abdul Mailk

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb on Monday killed at least 10 police amid increased Taliban attacks on the besieged capital of the southwestern Afghan province of Helmand, with the toll expected to rise, a security official said.

The blast, in the city of Lashkar Gah, killed 10 police officers, with at least 14 police and civilians wounded, said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak publicly.

A hospital run by the Italian charity Emergency said it had received 30 casualties from the blast, including civilians and security forces.

Hospital officials expressed concern over worsening conditions in Lashkar Gah, with reports of increased Taliban attacks on the outskirts, and rockets landing inside the city.

Taliban militants, who have been fighting a 15-year insurgency to topple the Western-backed government and reimpose a radical Islamist regime, control or contest most of Helmand, the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting during the international military mission in Afghanistan.

On Saturday a high-level delegation of Afghan and international military officials visited Lashkar Gah, promising to do everything possible to prevent its collapse.

Afghan elders who met with the delegation, however, criticized government strategy in the province, as well as the performance of Afghan security forces, some of whom are accused of abandoning their posts.

The NATO-led coalition has stepped up the number of military advisers working with the Afghan forces in Helmand, while American troops have been given freer rein to use more air strikes in a bid to prevent a total collapse of Afghan defenses.</s>ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - A suicide car bomber killed more than 14 people, mostly police officers, and wounded many more in an embattled key provincial capital in southern Afghanistan, hours after Taliban insurgents staged a major assault and forced their way into the city.



The bomber reportedly rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into a police base in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, the largest of all 34 Afghan provinces.



Local police officials say they expect the death toll to rise.



The bombing occurred shortly after Taliban insurgents assaulted Lashkar Gah from different sides, fighting their way into the city they have kept under siege for weeks.



Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi confirmed to reporters in Kabul the Taliban staged a major attack on security outposts in the provincial capital and intense fighting was raging; but, he sounded confident Afghan security forces will soon push back the insurgents.

Afghan Special Forces and policemen prepare themse Afghan Special Forces and policemen prepare themselves for battle with the Taliban on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah capital of Helmand, Oct. 10, 2016. Afghan Special Forces and policemen prepare themselves for battle with the Taliban on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah capital of Helmand, Oct. 10, 2016.





In an audio message sent to reporters, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the fighters were advancing through Lashkar Gah after overrunning "a number of checkpoints."



The Taliban has made significant territorial gains in Helmand this year and the Afghan government is believed to be in full control of only two of the province's 14 districts.



The Taliban assault on Lashkar Gah followed Saturday's emergency visit to the city by the U.S. commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson. Addressing tribal elders and officials in Lashkar Gah, he assured them Afghan and international forces are determined not to let the city fall to the Taliban.



Kunduz operations



Meanwhile, authorities say security forces have made progress in operations aimed at evicting Taliban insurgents from parts of the northern city of Kunduz. The rebel group staged a surprise multi-pronged offensive on the provincial capital a week ago and captured territory inside Kunduz.

Afghan policemen keep watch in the downtown of Kun Afghan policemen keep watch in the downtown of Kunduz city, Oct. 3, 2016. Afghan policemen keep watch in the downtown of Kunduz city, Oct. 3, 2016.





Civilians fleeing conflict

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Kabul has warned the conflict in the northern city continued to inflict suffering on Afghan civilians.



"At least 32,000 people from Kunduz have fled due to the fighting; but, given that assessments are ongoing and many families are still on the move, we expect this figure to change rapidly," Danielle Moylan, a spokesperson for UNOCHA, told VOA.



She reiterated that her office is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Kunduz where families still trapped have been living for a week with limited access to clean water, electricity and food.



"Many families, including women and children, risk their lives if they attempt to leave their homes to find food, which has been difficult to find, and has more than doubled in price," she said.



The United Nations has warned that conflict-related displacements and Afghan refugees returning from neighboring Pakistan and Iran at an unusually rapid pace will have more than one million on the move in Afghanistan by the end of the year in addition to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.



The U.N. has recently launched a flash appeal of $150 million to meet urgent needs of the displaced families.



"However, given that 10 percent of the entire year's internal displacement has occurred in the last week alone due to the Kunduz fighting, ... the humanitarian community will find it very challenging to assist the most vulnerable returnees and IDP's in Afghanistan without further funding," cautioned Moylan.</s>Taliban militants have reportedly entered the capital of Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand after launching a large-scale attack in the area.

The militants attacked security checkpoints inside the city of Lashkargah on Monday, said the Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqq.

Sediqq said the country’s security forces “will soon push them back.”

However, the Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed the militants were advancing through the town.

According to Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, the deputy director of Helmand’s provincial council, the militants managed to enter the city after breaching the “defense security belt.”

The Taliban have already stepped up attacks in Helmand and on Sunday captured Nawa district, which is close to the provincial capital of Lashkargah.

Amid the violence, a car bomb also ripped through the embattled city, leaving more than a dozen people dead.

Police sources said there were 10 police officers and four civilians among the victims, adding that the death toll was likely to rise.

Over the past few months, Afghan security forces have also been busy foiling attacks by the group in Helmand and the northern city of Kunduz, the capital of a province with the same name.

Security forces are engaged in heavy fighting with the Taliban to retake the control of Kunduz, which fell to Taliban on October 3 for the second time in a year.

On Sunday, the United Nations said the number of displaced people in Kunduz has reached 24,000 as fierce street battles continue between government forces and Taliban militants in the strategic northern city.

The militant group lost its grip over Afghanistan in the US-led military invasion, but security has not been delivered to the country despite the presence of foreign boots on Afghan soil.
• Car Bomb In Afghanistan Kills At Least 10 Police Officers</s>A Humvee sits parked next to the Helmand provincial police headquarters sign in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, in this file photo from July 2, 2012. A suicide car bombing on Monday killed 14 people, including 10 Afghan police officers, as the Taliban launched a large-scale attack on the capital in southern Helmand province, the heartland of the insurgency.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide car bombing on Monday killed 14 people, including 10 Afghan police officers, as the Taliban launched a large-scale attack on the capital in southern Helmand province, the heartland of the insurgency.

Since the beginning of this year's fighting season, the Taliban have expanded their footprint across most of the province and have been at the gates of the city of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, for weeks.

According to Haji Marjan, the police chief of Nad Ali district who has been deployed to the provincial capital, the explosion happened around 11.30 a.m., after the Taliban earlier targeted police checkpoints across the city.

Marjan said at least 10 police officers, including his brother, and four civilians died in the bombing in the Mukhtar area of Lashkar Gah's police district 2. He warned that the death toll was likely to rise as it was unclear how many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion.

A doctor at the international emergency hospital in Lashkar Gah said 14 bodies had been brought to the clinic. Speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, the physician said 15 wounded were also brought in, including 14 who were victims of the car bombing and one person who suffered gunshot wounds.

In the Afghan capital of Kabul, Sediq Sediqqi, the Interior Ministry spokesman, confirmed that the Taliban launched a large-scale attack on security checkpoints in Lashkar Gah on Monday but expressed confidence the Afghan security forces "will soon push them back."

Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, the deputy director of Helmand's provincial council, said the militants entered the city after breaching the Afghan forces' "defense security belt."

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents were advancing through Lashkar Gah.

Helmand is strategically important for the Taliban as it is the main source of the country's opium output, worth an estimated $4 billion a year, much of which funds the war. Provincial officials have said the Taliban now control 85 percent of the province, while only a year ago, the government controlled 80 percent.</s>KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan police official says at least 14 people have been killed in a suicide car bombing in the capital of southern Helmand province.

Haji Marjan says the attack happened on Monday in the city of Lashkar Gah. He says 10 police officers and four civilians were killed but warned that the death toll is likely to rise as it is unclear how many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion.

Lashkar Gah has been under attack by Taliban militants who officials said had entered the city earlier in the day.

The Taliban have been on the outskirts of the city for months, as part of their march across Helmand, where most of the word’s opium is produced.</s>The Taliban militants group conducted a suicide car bombing in the vicinity of Lashkargah city as they attempted to enter the provincial capital of southern Helmand province.

According to the local government officials, the suicide attack was carried out in the 2nd police district of the city amid ongoing clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban insurgents.

Provincial governor’s spokesman Omar Zwak confirmed the report and said at least 14 people were killed or injured in the suicide car bombing.

He said several civilians were among those killed or wounded in the suicide attack carried out by the Taliban militants.

However, the provincial hospital sources said at least 30 people wounded in the suicide attack were taken to the emergency hospital from the site of the incident.

In the meantime, the lawmaker representing Helmand in the Lower House of the Parliament, Abdulhai Akhundzada confirmed that the Taliban insurgents managed to enter Lashkargah city.

But the provincial security adviser Toryalai Hemat said the Afghan special forces managed to push the Taliban militants from the 2nd police district of the city after they launched a coordinated attack to capture its control.

Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Stay updated via RSS</s>KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have launched a large-scale attack on the capital of southern Helmand province.

Sediq Sediqqi, the interior ministry spokesman, said on Monday the militants have attacked security checkpoints inside Lashkar Gah.

He says Afghan security forces "will soon push them back."

Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, the deputy director of Helmand's provincial council, says the Taliban entered the city after breaching the " security belt."

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, says the insurgents are advancing through Lashkar Gah.

Helmand is strategically important for the Taliban as it is the source of opium worth an estimated $4 billion a year, much of which funds the war.

Since the beginning of this year's fighting season, the Taliban have expanded their footprint across most of the province.</s>KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide car bombing killed 14 people, including 10 Afghan police officers, as the Taliban launched a large-scale attack Monday on the capital in southern Helmand province, the heartland of the insurgency.

Since the beginning of this year’s fighting season, the Taliban have expanded their footprint across most of the province and have been at the gates of the city of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, for weeks.

According to Haji Marjan, police chief of Nad Ali district who has been deployed to the city, the explosion happened around 11.30 a.m., after the Taliban earlier targeted police checkpoints across Lashkar Gah.

Marjan said at least 10 police officers, including his brother, and four civilians died in the bombing in the Mukhtar area of police district 2. He warned the death toll was likely to rise as it was unclear how many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion.

A doctor at the city’s international emergency hospital said 14 bodies were brought to the clinic. Speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, the physician said 15 wounded were also brought in, including 14 victims of the car bombing and one person who suffered gunshot wounds.

Communications in the city appeared to have been cut as it wasn’t possible to reach officials or residents for comments. In the Afghan capital of Kabul, Sediq Sediqqi, the Interior Ministry spokesman, confirmed the attack but expressed confidence security forces “will soon push them (Taliban) back.”

He said security forces had responded quickly but gun battles were continuing, with at least seven insurgents killed and two vehicles packed with explosives destroyed.

“We have enough forces in Lashkar Gah, plus supportive and commando units to respond to the Taliban’s attack,” Sediqqi told reporters.

Helmand is strategically important for the Taliban as it’s the main source of the country’s opium output, worth an estimated $4 billion a year, much of which funds the insurgency. Provincial officials have said the Taliban now control 85 per cent of the province, while only a year ago, the government controlled 80 per cent.

Elsewhere, Afghan forces in the northern city of Kunduz city and Farah, a city in the west, were also battling Taliban attacks. Progress was slow as the insurgents were using civilians as human shields and their homes for cover, Sediqqi said.

Insurgents attacked Kunduz, the capital of the province of the same name, a week ago, a year after they overran it and held it for a few days, then battled Afghan and U.S. forces for three weeks until they were driven out.

The U.S. military has provided backing for the Afghan forces but the operations are taking care to avoid id civilian casualties, said U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland.

“Since Oct. 7, U.S. forces have conducted 21 air-to-ground engagements to defend friendly forces,” he said, without mentioning airstrikes.

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Lynne O’Donnell in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this story.</s>At least 14 killed in Helmand as Afghans battle Taliban on multiple fronts

A Humvee sits parked next to the Helmand provincial police headquarters sign in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, in this file photo from July 2, 2012. A suicide car bombing on Monday killed 14 people, including 10 Afghan police officers, as the Taliban launched a large-scale attack on the capital in southern Helmand province, the heartland of the insurgency.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan forces were fending off Taliban assaults on multiple fronts Monday, including the capital of southern Helmand province, where a car bomb killed at least 14 people.

In the north, Afghan security forces were battling for an eighth day to push insurgents from the city of Kunduz, and in western Farah province, Afghan forces called for reinforcements after insurgents surrounded an outpost there.

Despite the Taliban advances, both Afghan and U.S. officials expressed confidence in the Afghan security forces and their ability to withstand and repel the insurgent assaults.

In Lashkar Gah, capital of restive Helmand province, Taliban fighters entered the city and set off a suicide car bomb killing at least 14 people, including 10 police officers, The Associated Press reported.

The Taliban briefly held a police station in the second police district of Lashkar Gah before Afghan forces responded and “kicked out” the insurgents, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Since the start of the fighting season this spring, the insurgents have expanded their presence in the province, closing in on the capital.

Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said U.S. “combat enablers” were in the area and prepared to support the Afghans as needed. Enablers can include air support and Special Forces troops.

The situation was “fluid” in Helmand, he said, but officials remain confident the Afghan security forces can continue to defend the country’s population themselves. They are doing better this year than last year, he said, and are on a “positive trajectory.”

Cell service in Lashkar Gah appeared to have been cut earlier in the day, but Twitter users posted updates apparently from the area, including one image of a pillar of smoke rising above the city.

Cecilia Strada, president of the medical charity Emergency, which operates a hospital in Lashkar Gah, said on Twitter that at least 30 wounded had been brought to the hospital shortly after the suicide car bomb exploded.

Emergency said on Twitter that a rocket landed 30 meters from the hospital on Sunday and 19 wounded had been brought in after that attack.

Helmand, considered the Taliban’s heartland, has been the site of some of the deadliest fighting in the 15-year war since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the group in 2001. It remains strategically important for the insurgents, as it’s the main source of the country’s opium, the Taliban’s cash crop, worth an estimated $4 billion a year, much of which funds the insurgency.

Afghans continue to pay a heavy price for the fighting there. On Twitter, Doctors Without Borders, which operates a hospital in the provincial capital, said Monday that it receives more than 150 new patients a day.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said in Kabul that security forces had responded quickly in Lashkar Gah, AP reported. “We have enough forces in Lashkar Gah, plus supportive and commando units to respond to the Taliban’s attack,” Sediqqi said.

The Taliban have continually threatened provincial capitals this year, especially in Helmand and Kunduz, but U.S. and Afghan officials have promised they will not fall.

“We knew that there would be additional fighting and additional challenges following the Eid holiday,” Cleveland said, referring to last month’s Eid al-Adha. “The Taliban are trying to drag out the fighting to undermine the population’s sense of security, but the Taliban have been unable to take or hold any major population centers or strategic locations anywhere in the country this year.”</s>Afghanistan has sent hundreds of troops to Lashkargah in a bid to purge the strategic city of Taliban militants after an attack by the resurgent group claimed the lives of 14 people.

The government’s special envoy for security in Helmand province said more than 300 commandos had been deployed to the city on Tuesday to prevent Taliban advancement.

A provincial spokesman said the deployed troops were sent from Kabul and nearby provinces to launch a “clearance operation” in Lashkargah.

“Soon the security forces will clear the whole city of Taliban,” Omar Zwak told the AFP news agency.

Taliban militants reportedly entered the capital of the southern province of Helmand early Monday morning.

The attack began with a car bombing in an attempt to break through the security belt and enter the city. A defense ministry spokesman, however, said security forces had managed to thwart the attack, but feared the militants would return.

The assault underscored Taliban’s sustained push into urban centers, coming a week after the militants stormed into Kunduz in the north.

The militants have already stepped up attacks in Helmand province and on Sunday captured Nawa district, which is close to the provincial capital of Lashkargah.

Over the past few months, Afghan security forces have been trying to foil attacks by the group in Helmand and Kunduz.

Security forces are currently engaged in heavy fighting with the Taliban to retake the control of Kunduz, which fell to Taliban on October 3 for the second time in a year.

Taliban were ousted following a US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 but the group has gone from strength to strength despite the presence of foreign troops.
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A suicide bombing kills at least 14 people, mostly police officers, in Lashkargah, Helmand Province, as Taliban insurgents advance upon the Afghan city.