Taliban surround Afghan city as commandos launch counterattack

HEART: Taliban fighters on motorbikes roamed a provincial Afghan capital Thursday after a day of heavy fighting that saw them storm the city in their most brazen assault since the United States stepped up its troop withdrawal.

The government flew in hundreds of commandos to Qala-i-Naw in Badghis, the first provincial capital to face an all-out assault by the Taliban since May 1 when the insurgents launched a blistering campaign to capture new territory.

With the US troop pullout "90 percent complete", according to the Pentagon, fears are mounting that Afghan forces will be stretched without the vital air support of the US military.

Residents in Qala-i-Naw had either fled the city or stayed indoors Thursday after more than 24 hours of intense fighting that saw the Afghan air force launch strikes on Taliban positions.

"The Taliban are still in the city," resident Aziz Tawakoli told AFP.

"You can see them going up and down the streets on their motorcycles."

He said many of the city's 75,000 people had fled their homes -- either to neighbouring districts or to Herat.

"The shops are closed and there is hardly anyone on the streets," Tawakoli said, adding that helicopters and planes had bombed Taliban targets through the night.

Badghis provincial council member Zia Gul Habibi said the Taliban suffered casualties, but also surrounded the city.

"All districts are under their control... People are really in fear," she said.

"All shops and government institutions are closed. There are still reports of sporadic fighting."

'Women will not be able to work'

Parisila Herawai, a rights activist in the city, expressed concern for the safety of women in particular.

"It is an emergency situation for all women, especially activists," she told AFP.

"If the Taliban plan to remain in the city, we will not be able to work."

On Wednesday, the Taliban briefly seized the police headquarters and the local office of the country's spy agency but were later pushed back.

Local officials said some security officers had surrendered to the Taliban, and the insurgents opened the gates of the city jail, freeing hundreds of prisoners.

Afghan forces vow to retake districts lost to Taliban

Most had since been recaptured, officials said.

Overnight, the defence ministry said it rushed hundreds of commandos to the city to launch a "large scale operation", spokesman Fawad Aman said on Twitter.

The attack on Qala-i-Naw comes as the Taliban carry out a blistering campaign across the country but mostly in the north, capturing dozens of districts since early May.

The fighting appeared to be spreading in neighbouring Herat province where officials acknowledged losing two districts to the insurgents.

Rights group Human Rights Watch said the insurgents were forcing people from their houses in northern areas that they have captured.

"The Taliban's retaliatory attacks against civilians deemed to have supported the government are an ominous warning about the risk of future atrocities," said HRW associate director Patricia Gossman.

"The Taliban leadership has the power to stop these abuses by their forces but haven't shown that they are willing to do so," she said.