Hibatullah Alizai, the commander of the Special Operations Corps, said that a clearance operation in Lashkargah city, the capital of Helmand province, began on Wednesday night.
The operation was launched about 10:00 pm local time in PD1 of Lashkargah, Alizai said, and he urged residents to evacuate areas under Taliban control as the airstrikes and ground operations move forward, warning that the Taliban are “using civilian homes” as fighting positions.
The operation began on Wednesday night after hundreds of Afghan commandos and special forces were deployed to Helmand on Tuesday, according to officials.
Alizai said the Taliban’s designated governor for Helmand was killed in the fight with security forces, but the Taliban denied this claim.
“The Taliban has suffered heavy casualties in the Helmand clashes,” he said.
Thursday marks the ninth day of fighting in Lashkargah.
Airstrikes in several parts of Lashkargah were carried out on Wednesday night, according to security forces.
There have been no numbers available since Wednesday night of casualties sustained by government forces or of civilians.
Out of 10 districts in Lashkargah, nine have been captured by the Taliban in the recent fighting.
12 of the 13 districts in Helmand are controlled by the Taliban. Only Kajaki district remains under government control.
On Wednesday, fighting continued near the police HQ, governor’s office, the prison, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and other government buildings in PD1 of the city, according to the local officials.
All key government offices are in PD1.
Previously, the residents of Helmand said that houses, shops, and markets have sustained heavy damage during the ongoing clashes.
Thousands of families have been displaced.
On Tuesday, the commander of the Army’s 215 Maiwand Corps, Gen. Sami Sadat, urged Lashkargah residents to evacuate their houses as the ANDSF is planning large-scale operations to clear the city of Taliban.
Gen. Sadat said he made the announcement because the safety of residents is the priority of the ANDSF.
