An official says the Taliban began the attack late Thursday, August 9, from several positions around the city

GHAZNI, Afghanistan – US forces launched airstrikes Friday, August 10, to counter a major Taliban assault on an Afghan provincial capital, where terrified residents cowered in their homes amid explosions and gunfire as security forces try to beat the insurgents back. Officials said Afghan special forces were also being deployed to the south-eastern city of Ghazni after the latest attempt by the Taliban to capture an urban centre, with the assault coming as pressure builds on the insurgents to enter peace talks. At least one Afghan soldier has been killed and seven others wounded in the fighting in the southeastern city of Ghazni, provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori told AFP on Friday. Civilian houses and army checkpoints came under mortar attack and the bodies of dozens of Taliban fighters were in the streets, provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori said. (READ: 'Game changer': Afghan conflict to intensify in 2018)

The Taliban began the attack late Thursday, August 9, from several positions around the city, provincial police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal said. Residents who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP) said power has been cut to the area since fighting erupted, with heavy gunfire ringing out across the city and a government building set on fire. "We are scared for our life. The Taliban are roaming everywhere in and around the city," shopkeeper Mohammad Haleem told AFP. Sporadic gunfire continued to echo, with officials telling residents to stay in their homes as Taliban fighters continued to roam the streets. "Heavy explosions and gunfire can be heard. We are terrified," Yasan wrote in a Facebook post. The U.S. said that the city remained under government control. "U.S. “US Forces responded with close-air support this morning in Ghazni,” the official account for US Forces in Afghanistan tweeted Friday. “Afghan forces held their ground and maintain control of all govt centers. centers. Another failed attempt by Taliban to seize terrain, while creating strategically inconsequential headlines," it continued. A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said the Taliban had suffered heavy casualties in the onslaught, and confirmed the airstrikes. Police special forces have also been deployed to help block the Taliban advance on the city, an Afghan security official said. The Taliban issued a statement claiming to have captured “most of the government buildings inside the city”, and claiming to have killed and wounded 140 security forces. The insurgents frequently exaggerate their battlefield gains and downplay losses incurred during fighting. Afghan forces have been struggling to hold back the resurgent militant group since the withdrawal of NATO combat troops at the end of 2014. Farah is home to about 50,000 people and would be the second city to fall to the Taliban since the city of Kunduz fell twice in 2015 and 2016. After a day of intense fighting, Afghan commandos and U.S. air strikes drove the group to the outskirts of the city. The insurgents have also so far ignored an offer by Ghani in February of unconditional peace negotiations. However, there are tentative signs that diplomatic efforts to bring the insurgents to the table for peace talks may be starting to bear fruit. The Taliban has long insisted on direct talks with the United States. Washington has repeatedly refused, saying negotiations must be Afghan-led. But Washington indicated a change in its longstanding policy in June when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was prepared to "support, facilitate and participate" in talks. Pompeo also said the role of foreign forces in Afghanistan would be on the table. Last month, Taliban representatives met U.S. officials for talks in Qatar. Anticipation has also been mounting about the possibility of a government ceasefire announcement for the Islamic holiday of Eid-al Adha later this month. An unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and the Taliban to a temporary halt, giving war-weary Afghans some welcome relief from violence.
At least 40 bodies of Afghan National Army soldiers are found in a military base in Urozgan that Taliban forces stormed last week.