Heavy fighting in the Helmand district of Afghanistan has resulted with shifting control to Taliban.
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The attacks follow a recent report by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, that highlights that 5 percent of government-controlled territories have been lost to the Taliban forces.
Backed by United States special forces troops and airstrikes that authorities say have killed hundreds of Daesh fighters in recent weeks, the Afghan army has launched an offensive against the movement, which is now believed to be confined to three or four districts in eastern Afghanistan.
Days later, the government announced that an army operation in eastern Nangarhar province on Friday killed 36 Daesh fighters, said provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani, using the Arabic name for the IS group, as cited by Tolo News.
Much of the Marjah, Sangin, Garmser, and Dishu districts had already fallen to the Taliban.
Omar Zwak, Helmand Governor’s spokesman said clashes were underway between the Afghan troops and the Taliban rebels in parts of the district.
Kanashin is a major smuggling route for opium.
Kareem Atal, the director of Helmand’s provincial council, said that battles between government forces and militants have been raging in the Kanashin district since late Friday, when the Taliban took control.
The precise casualty figures can not be confirmed, as bodies litter the ground and fighting was still underway. Helmand produces most of the world’s opium, which helps fund the Taliban’s insurgency.
The report said the Afghan government was in control of 65.6 percent of the districts in the country in May, a drop from 70.5 percent near the end of January.
Afghan authorities say an overnight attack on a Kabul guesthouse for foreign contractors that was claimed by the Taliban left one policeman dead and four wounded.
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The insurgents consider Helmand, along with neighboring Kandahar province, to be their heartland.
