Roundup: Taliban tightens noose around Lashkar Gah amid gov't forces resolve to smash militants

Taliban militants have been attempting to tighten the siege of Lashkar Gah the capital of the restive Helmand provincial capital in south Afghanistan amid government forces' counter-offensives to dislodge the attacking militants.

The armed insurgents who already are in control of Baghran, Musa Qala, Deshu and Nawzad districts have intensified activities over the past couple of months and presently are fighting in Garmsir, Nawa, Nad Ali and Marja districts to overrun these areas and pave the way for the collapse of Lashkar Gah the major city in the south Afghanistan.

Taliban militants have captured some areas and tightened the noose around Helmand provincial capital Lashkar Gah.

The armed militants, according to locals, have overrun Ainak area in Nawa district just three kilometers away from Lashkar Gah in south and Chah-e-Anjir neighborhood eight kilometers north of the Lashkar Gah city.

Taliban militants have also blocked the major highway linking Lashkar Gah to the neighboring Kandahar province and thus undermining the government supplying road to send reinforcement in Lashkar Gah, according to locals and officials.

However, Afghan forces launched operations against Taliban outfit based on Lashkar Gah-Kandahar road on Wednesday and have killed 20 insurgents, commander of highway police in the southern region Abdul Sattar Norzai said Thursday.

Meanwhile, officials in the besieged city of Lashkar Gah have downplayed the Taliban threat and advances towards Lashkar Gah, saying the armed militants is deemed to defeat.

Helmand's provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat in talks with media recently categorically stated that the government forces would soon dislodge militants from their hideouts and government control would be extended throughout the troubled province.

Fighting for the control of Helmand province, which is notorious for growing poppy, and insurgency have left hundreds of people including militants, security forces and civilians over the past couple of months besides forcing hundreds of families to leave their houses for safer places.

"I am confident that Lashkar Gah won't collapse and the armed militants would certainly be defeated," commander of police in the southern zone General Mohammad Hakim Angar told reporters recently.

Spokesman of Defense Ministry General Dawlat Waziri has also downplayed Taliban threat, saying neither Lashkar Gah nor any other city would fall to militants. Enditem