Taliban forces in Afghanistan have been attacking a number of locations across many borders.
A Taliban attack was repulsed at an Afghan town near the country's border with Uzbekistan, a top police official said. The attack took place on Sunday in Hairatan town, Balkh province.
The key border town connecting Afghanistan with Uzbekistan has been regarded as the main trade gateway between the two nations. Taliban militants have already taken control of the Shir Khan border crossing in northern Kunduz province which connects Afghanistan with Tajikistan.
Fighting has intensified since the start of the withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban group has reportedly captured more than 170 districts over the past two months.
Afghan - Iran Border
The border between Iran and Afghanistan is fully secured and peaceful after a Taliban attack last week, a high-ranking commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said.
"There is no problem with the security of Iran's borders, and at present, all of Iran's eastern border in common with Afghanistan is in complete security and peace," Xinhua news agency quoted Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC's Ground Forces, was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The commander said he was visiting Iran's Dowqarun town at the border with Afghanistan to check the readiness of units stationed in the area after the Taliban attacked on July 8 and took over on the Afghan customs office of Islam Qala on the other side of the border.
Earlier on Sunday, an Iranian police spokesman announced that a number of Afghan border guards and customs officials who had entered Iran amid the Taliban offensive and takeover of the border crossings had been repatriated.
On July 8, a number of Afghan border guards and customs officers took refuge in Iran's Dowqarun customs office as Taliban militants assaulted Islam Qala.
The Afghans, Hajian added, were accommodated by Iran for a few days "on the basis of Islamic standards, the principle of good neighbourliness and in respect of international rules and treaties".
Also on Sunday, the spokesman for Iran's customs administration announced trade activities in Mahiroud border terminal, connecting Iran to Afghanistan's Abu Nasr Farahi, were back to normal.
"With the normalization of activities in the border terminal, special zone and Mahirood market, it is possible to send commercial cargoes, and there will be no ban on the issue of export or transit licenses," IRNA quoted Ruhollah Latifi as saying.
Afghan government forces have recaptured the Yaftal-e-Payan district in the northern Badakhshan province, forcing the Taliban insurgents to flee, deputy spokesman for Interior Ministry Ahmad Zia Zia said.
The government forces launched a counteroffensive against Taliban fighters in Yaftal-e-Payan district, forcing the insurgents to flee after suffering casualties, Xinhua news agency quoted Zia as saying on Sunday.
Taliban militants have reportedly captured 10 districts including Yaftal-e-Payan in Badakhshan province over the past couple of weeks.
In the meantime, fighting between government forces and the Taliban militants, for the control of Kuran-who-Munjan district of Badakhshan, has been continuing for the past four days.
According to a local official, at least 30 militants have been killed or injured over the past 24 hours. Confirming the fighting in the restive Kuran-wo-Munjan district, the spokesman for Badakhshan provincial government Nik Mohammad Nazari told Xinhua on Sunday that "17 insurgents including some foreign nationals" have been killed and some 20 others injured since Saturday.
Government forces have also recaptured the Aliabad district in the northern Kunduz province, forcing the militants to flee, according to locals.
The US monitoring the Taliban's
Pentagon officials are monitoring the Taliban's sweeping advances in Afghanistan "with deep concern" and are encouraging its partners in Kabul to "step up" and defend their country amid the pullout of American forces, spokesman John Kirby said.
With the Taliban claiming to have taken control of 85 per cent of Afghanistan, which the US government officials dispute, Kirby told Fox News on Sunday that the Pentagon was "not unmindful" of the situation.
As per the report, Kirby said that the Pentagon officials were working with the Afghan military "to encourage them to use the capacity and the capability that we know they have, and we know that they know how to defend their country".
He stated that Afghanistan's capacity and capabilities included a "very capable" Air Force and "very sophisticated" Special Forces that can help defend the country from the Taliban resurgence.
With the US Central Command estimating that more than 90 per cent of the withdrawal process is complete, Kirby said that even though the American troops won't be supporting Afghanistan on the ground, Washington will continue to support the country and its people.
Taliban militants have reportedly captured more than 170 districts. Taliban militants have been more active since the withdrawal of the US troops at the beginning of May, resulting in the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
