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Afghanistan's national security adviser, one of the most influential aides to President Ashraf Ghani, resigned on Saturday, a move one official said could be followed by his own bid for the top job in next year's scheduled election. Hanif Atmar's resignation was accepted by Ghani, presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri told Reuters. The spokesman gave no official reason for the abrupt departure, but a copy of Atmar's resignation letter obtained by Reuters said he had developed "serious differences over policies and principles with government leadership". A senior government official close to Atmar, who spoke on condition that his name was not used, said the former security adviser was considering running against Ghani in the 2019 vote. "He has resigned because he is preparing to run for presidential election next year," said the official. Atmar, 49, has been considered the second-most powerful official in Afghanistan since he became national security adviser after Ghani was sworn in as president in late 2014. He was also minister of interior under former President Hamid Karzai before being sacked in 2010 after Taliban insurgents' attacked a "peace jirga" that was an early attempt at ending the now-17-year-old war with the Taliban. The exact details of the rift with Ghani were not immediately clear, but in the past week the Afghan government declined to attend peace talks hosted by Russia that representatives of the Taliban are expected to attend. Atmar, who began his security career with the Soviet Union-backed government in the late 1980s, is still seen as close to Russia. Ghani on Saturday appointed 35-year-old Hamdullah Mohib, Afghan ambassador to United States, to replace Atmar as national security adviser, the presidential spokesman said.

A suicide attacker killed at least three people on Saturday by detonating explosives near the office of Afghanistan's election commission in the eastern city of Jalalabad, where dozens of protesters had gathered, an official said. The protesters had gathered in support of a parliamentary candidate who electoral officials had disqualified over his suspected links with illegal armed groups. Eight people were also wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the explosion happened when supporters of the disqualified candidate were trying to shut down the election commission office. "We had requested the protesters to stop their demonstrations because they could be targeted by militants but they rejected our security message," he said. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan election office in the capital, Kabul, earlier this month when protesters gathered to challenge the commission's decision to disqualify 35 candidates from contesting upcoming parliamentary polls. One police official was killed in that attack. A ban on dozens of Afghan strongmen and lawmakers from running for parliament because of suspected links to illegal armed groups has spurred threats and protests to disrupt a general election that is already at risk from worsening security. The Taliban have warned people not to vote in the October polls and dozens of people have been killed in militant attacks on voter registration centres. Supporters of disqualified candidates have held sit-in protests outside a number of election commission offices around Afghanistan over the past two weeks. Security forces launched a drive to evict them on Saturday.

* Taliban say they reject government ceasefire offer * Nearly 200 taken from buses in Afghanistan's north * Government announced ceasefire for Eid holiday * Buses full of people travelling for holiday The Taliban rejected on Monday an Afghan government offer of a ceasefire and said they would persist with their attacks, militant commanders said, while insurgents ambushed three buses and nearly 200 passengers travelling for a holiday. Two Taliban commanders said their supreme leader rejected President Ashraf Ghani's Sunday offer of a three-month ceasefire, beginning with this week's Eid al-Adha holiday. In June, the Taliban observed a government ceasefire over the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival, leading to unprecedented scenes of government soldiers and militants embracing on front lines, and raising hopes for talks. But one of the Taliban commanders said the June ceasefire had helped US forces, who the Taliban are trying to drive out of the country. Taliban leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada rejected the new offer on the grounds that it too would only help the American-led mission. "Our leadership feels that they'll prolong their stay in Afghanistan if we announced a ceasefire now," a senior Taliban commander, who declined to be identified, said by telephone. An official in Ghani's office said the three-month-long ceasefire declared by the government was conditional, and if the Taliban did not respect it, the government would maintain military operations. The Taliban have launched a wave of attacks in recent weeks, including on the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul. Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting. Government officials are trying to secure the release of at least 170 civilians and 20 members of the security forces who were taken hostage by Taliban from three buses in the northern province of Kunduz. Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the governor of Kunduz, said the kidnapping happened when the buses were travelling through Kunduz from Takhar province. "The buses were stopped by the Taliban fighters, passengers were forced to step down and they have been taken to an undisclosed location," Muradi said. A Taliban commander in Afghanistan said civilian hostages were being divided into small groups to be sent back home. However, members of Afghan security forces had been shifted to the Taliban’s secret jail. "Most probably we would exchange them for our prisoners later,” said the commander. 'Travelling for holiday' The Taliban confirmed they had captured "three buses packed with passengers". "We decided to seize the buses after our intelligence inputs revealed that many men working with Afghan security forces were travelling to Kabul," Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said by telephone. "We are now identifying members of the security forces," he said, adding that civilians would be released. Kunduz provincial council member Sayed Assadullah Sadat said people on the buses were travelling to be with family in Kabul for the holiday. A senior interior ministry official in Kabul said officials in the area were talking to Taliban leaders in Kunduz to get the estimated 190 hostages released. "We're are trying our level best to secure freedom for all passengers," the official said. Separately, Mujahid said the Taliban would release at least 500 prisoners, including members of the security forces, on Monday, a day before Eid celebrations begin. Sporadic clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan forces erupted on the outskirts of Ghazni on Monday as aid workers tried to get help into the city, aid agency officials said. The government has said its forces had secured the city after the Taliban laid siege to it for five days this month. At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed and hundreds were injured. Aid agencies officials said their teams had entered the city but clashes in the outskirts prevented them from launching large-scale operations.

Afghan security forces battled militants in Kabul's old quarter Tuesday, with military helicopters firing above a mosque to quell an assault that was launched with a rocket barrage against the capital. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the assault, which came as President Ashraf Ghani was making a speech marking the first day of the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday, days after offering the Taliban a conditional three-month ceasefire.  An Afghan army helicopter swooped in low over the street near the Eidgah Mosque in a central district of the city and fired a rocket on a militant position, sending a plume of dust into the sky.  People who moments earlier had been buying livestock for the Eid feast could be seen sprinting for shelter as cars swerved in the road to flee the fighting. Blasts and gunfire could be heard as security forces cordoned off the area. The mosque is near the presidential palace where Ghani was making his speech, which was being aired live on Facebook when the attack began.  The president can be seen pausing as multiple blasts are heard in the background, some sounding nearby, before stating: "This nation is not going to bow to these rocket attacks." The attackers appeared to be in a building behind the mosque, which was partially destroyed in another attack several years earlier and is not believed to have been in use for Eid. Police said the fighting began around 9:00 am, after multiple rockets struck in at least two areas of Kabul. Footage aired live on broadcaster Tolo News showed dark black smoke emanating from the area near the mosque while fire trucks and security vehicles rushed to the scene. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said police believe at least four militants are involved in the assault. "An operation has been launched to arrest or gun them down," he told AFP. Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish confirmed that militants had taken over a building near the mosque and fired several rockets.  "Two people have been wounded. Security forces are fighting the terrorists," he told AFP. Danish later told Tolo that the militants were using rocket propelled grenades and mortars to target parts of the city.  "Choppers are flying over the site and the security forces are busy defusing two explosive-packed vehicles at the site that the terrorist wanted to detonate," wrote interior ministry communications chief Bahar Mehr on Facebook.  A heavy security presence could also be seen near the Kabul Stadium. Ceasefire offer Ghani unveiled the government's latest ceasefire gambit during an Independence Day address late Sunday, saying security forces would observe the truce beginning this week -- but only if the militants reciprocated. The truce offer was welcomed by the United States and NATO after nearly 17 years of war, though it was not clear if their forces in Afghanistan would also participate. The Taliban did not immediately respond to Ghani's proposal, but have vowed to release "hundreds" of "enemy prisoners" to mark the Eid holiday, which began in Afghanistan on Tuesday.  It was not clear which prisoners they were referring to.  The move followed an extraordinarily violent week in Afghanistan that saw that Taliban storm the provincial capital of Ghazni -- just a two-hour drive from Kabul -- and press the fight against security forces across the country, with estimates suggesting hundreds of people may have been killed. Analysts were mixed over Ghani's proposal, with some saying the government's move was a sign of desperation after recent heavy bloodshed, while others said the trust-building measure was integral to paving the way for negotiations. It came after an initial ceasefire in June, the first such truce since the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime. For just three days thousands of insurgents poured into cities across Afghanistan, eating ice cream and posing for selfies with security forces to celebrate. The brief respite spurred hopes that a new path was opening for possible peace talks in the country to end the nearly 17-year-old war.

* Dozens taken from buses in Afghanistan's north, official says * Government announces ceasefire for Eid holiday * Passengers taken to undisclosed location * Buses full of people travelling to meet family * Ceasefire declared despite increase in attacks Taliban insurgents kidnapped dozens of passengers after stopping three buses in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, a government official said on Monday, a day after the government announced a ceasefire with the militants. Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor, said the kidnapping happened on Monday morning when three buses were coming from Takhar province to the capital, Kabul. ‘The buses were stopped by the Taliban fighters, passengers were forced to step down and they have been taken to an undisclosed location,’ he said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani declared a provisional three-month ceasefire with the Taliban on Sunday to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday, even though fighting against the Western-backed government in Kabul and NATO coalition forces has increased. Taliban sources said their leaders had also provisionally agreed on a four-day truce, although supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada still had to give his final approval. The militants said they would free hundreds of prisoners, without going into further details. A provincial council member in Kunduz said ‘a total of 300 to 400 passengers’ could have been on the buses when they were stopped by insurgents, although it had not been confirmed whether the Taliban were responsible. Officials were rushing to the scene to investigate and rescue the passengers. Sayed Assadullah Sadat, a Kunduz provincial council member, said Afghans were on holiday for Eid and that many were travelling to meet family in Kabul. ‘Buses were packed with people and maybe there were army soldiers and police in the buses,’ he said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents from Monday to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday, despite the heavy fighting seen over recent days in the central city of Ghazni. "The conditional ceasefire will start tomorrow and it will continue as long as the Taliban preserves and respects it," he said in an Afghan Independence Day ceremony in Kabul. "We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long-lasting and real peace," he said. A senior official in Ghani's office said the "conditional" ceasefire would run for three months. It was not immediately clear whether the Taliban had accepted Ghani's call for a truce during Eid, the annual Islamic feast of sacrifice, which officially begins on Tuesday. This month the Taliban fought an intense battle with Afghan forces to control the strategically important city of Ghazni. At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day siege, which eased last week when Afghan soldiers backed by US forces pushed back the heavily armed rebels. The Taliban said in a statement that they had control over half of Afghanistan. Blasts, suicide attacks and clashes between hardline militants and Afghan forces killed over 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade, the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday. Ghani's ceasefire announcement was limited to the Taliban and excluded other militant groups such as Islamic State. 

Aid trickled into Ghazni Sunday, residents and relief workers said, days after security forces pushed Taliban militants from the eastern Afghan city following nearly a week of heavy fighting. Residents suffered food and water shortages along with rising prices for basic provisions after insurgents overran the city, torching buildings and destroying infrastructure in a battle that killed hundreds of people. ‘We need this aid to survive,’ said Gul Badshah, one of many in Ghazni who made their way to distribution centres Sunday, who said his home had been destroyed by two rockets during the onslaught. Siraj Ahmad, another resident, said he was collecting aid for a neighbour whose husband -- a police officer -- and young son were killed by the Taliban during the fighting. ‘They had no one else left in their family so I decided to come here for them and get any donations to take for them,’ he said. Rice, oil, beans and tea were handed out after the first humanitarian convoy arrived in the Ghazni on Saturday, said Afghan Red Crescent regional head Mohammad Esmail. He added that the Red Crescent hoped to reach 800 families Sunday, followed by another 1,200 on Monday. ‘The people who receive this aid are those who have either lost their loved ones or houses during the fighting in Ghazni,’ Esmail said. The UN estimates that at least 200 civilians died in Ghazni before Afghan forces backed by US airstrikes finally pushed Taliban fighters from the provincial capital on Wednesday. But analysts said the Taliban scored a military and psychological victory against the government, proving they have the strength to strike a strategically vital city near Kabul at will and remain entrenched there for days. The delivery of aid to Ghazni comes after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani briefly visited the the the city to review the security situation on Friday. During the stopover, Ghani demanded Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan investigate reports that fighters from his country had joined the battle, which Kabul said had left at least 100 Afghan soldiers dead. The fight for Ghazni was part of an extraordinarily violent week in Afghanistan that saw Taliban militants press the fight against security forces across the country and Islamic State insurgents attack Kabul, including a suicide blast at a school that killed at least 37. The surge in violence comes weeks after Afghans marked an unprecedented nationwide ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces in June, giving some relief to war-weary civilians. Anticipation had been mounting that a second ceasefire would be announced for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday this week. But President Ghani has since indicated there will be no truce offered to the Taliban.

Gunmen launched an attack on an intelligence training centre in Kabul early Thursday, officials said, just a day after a suicide bomber killed dozens of students in the war-weary city. "Clashes are ongoing and the area is cordoned off by the Afghan security forces," said Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai. An official at the scene requesting anonymity confirmed the attack. Several gunmen were firing on a training facility overseen by the National Security Directorate -- Afghanistan's intelligence agency -- from a nearby construction site, according to officials. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The attack comes hours after a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside an education centre in western Kabul, where students were studying for college entrance exams, killing at least 37 people. It was the latest incident in a blood-soaked week that saw militants deliver crippling blows to government forces across Afghanistan. The school bombing underscored the price that ordinary Afghans have paid in the grinding conflict as the country reels from a recent uptick in violence, including a massive, days-long Taliban onslaught on the eastern city of Ghazni. Afghan forces appear to have finally pushed Taliban fighters from the strategic provincial capital. Small pockets of the city began opening up to humanitarian aid on Thursday, while partial mobile service returned after telecommunications infrastructure and government buildings were destroyed during the fighting. The surge in violence comes weeks after Afghans marked an unprecedented country-wide ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces in June, giving some relief to civilians.

A Taliban attack on a military outpost in the northern province of Baghlan in the early hours of Wednesday killed as many as 44 Afghan police and soldiers, provincial officials said, as the insurgents kept up pressure on government forces. There was no immediate comment from the ministry of defence but officials in the area said nine police and 35 soldiers were killed in the attack, the latest in a series that have killed dozens of members of the security forces in provinces across Afghanistan. The attack came as the situation in the embattled central city of Ghazni eased after the Taliban said they had ordered forces out after five days of fighting that killed and wounded hundreds and left the city a burned-out wreck. The city hospital was overcrowded with hundreds of wounded people and dozens of bodies and people desperately searching for relatives among the dead and wounded. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was providing dressing packages and oral and intravenous medicine to treat wounded at the provincial hospital. The ICRC also sent fresh water and electricity generators for trauma surgeries and delivered material for the management of remains. About 20% of the population in Ghazni depend on the city water system, which has been down since the beginning of fighting. The ICRC is organising emergency water supplies by truck to cover the needs of about 18,000 people. "Some people had managed to flee the city but there were many others trapped in their houses," said one Taliban commander, who said the decision to pull out was made to prevent further destruction in the city. "They were facing severe shortage of food and drinking water as the power supply was also suspended to the city two days ago," the Taliban commander, who declined to be identified, said by telephone.

Taliban fighters overran a northern Afghan army base, officials said on Tuesday, killing at least 17 soldiers with dozens feared captured in a stinging blow to security forces already struggling to push insurgents from eastern Ghazni. The fall of the base in Ghormach district of volatile Faryab province came with security forces -- who have struggled to hold back the Taliban since Nato combat troops pulled out in 2014 -- already stretched by the days of fighting in Ghazni, a strategic provincial capital two hours from Kabul. Militants gained control of the base after days of heavy fighting, according to army spokesman for northern Afghanistan Mohammad Hanif Rezaee.  He said around 100 soldiers were on the base when it was first attacked on Sunday.  "It is a tragedy that the base fell to the enemy. Some soldiers were killed, some captured and some fled to nearby hills," Rezaee told AFP. At least 17 were killed in the attack, according to defence ministry spokesman Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed, while a local MP said Taliban fighters captured another 40 in the base, known as Chenaya. "Preparations are underway to launch an operation to recapture the base," said the ministry's spokesman.  Tahir Rehmani -- head of Faryab's provincial council -- said the base fell after the soldiers begged for reinforcements and air support from Kabul but were ultimately ignored.  "They were too busy with Ghazni," said Rehmani.  Ghazni, further east and which the Taliban first assaulted late Thursday, remains in government hands, officials have said. But the insurgents appeared entrenched there on Tuesday, according to residents who said they were burning buildings, killing civilians and firing on security forces conducting a clearing operation. Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and under intense pressure, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led Nato troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. The attack on Ghazni is the largest tactical onslaught by the Taliban since an unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and the Taliban to a brief stop, providing battle-worn Afghans some welcome relief. Analysts have said the insurgents may also be seeking to demonstrate strength as they come under increasing pressure since the ceasefire to join peace talks. The assault in Ghazni and the fall of the base also illustrate the challenges facing Afghan forces as they battle insurgents across the country, said analyst Abdul Hamid Sofof.  "The Taliban know this and they make Afghan forces fight on several fronts, making them run thin and vulnerable to their mobile attacks," said Sofof.  Ghost city  Fears of civilian casualties in Ghazni were growing on Tuesday as Afghan security forces backed by US airpower struggled to push the Taliban out on the fifth day of fighting. The United Nations said unverified reports put civilian casualties at more than 100, with residents also at risk from several days of US airstrikes. An MP from Ghazni, Shah Gul Rezaye, said on Tuesday that some parts of the city had been cleared. But in others "the Taliban have positioned their fighters in high buildings shooting at security forces from there," he added. Communication networks remained largely down, making any information difficult to verify. "Ghazni is a ghost city now. The Taliban are going from house to house to find government officials or their relatives to kill," said one resident, Sayed Zia. "Those who can are fleeing." Another resident also said the Taliban were killing civilians who refused to help them. "I saw two trucks full of coffins going toward a cemetery in the city. They all seemed to be civilians," said Abdullah, who asked to only use one name. "The city is full of smoke. Everywhere they go they set the places on fire," he said, adding that shops were being looted, with water and food scarce. Other residents have told AFP of bodies littering the streets of the city in recent days.  "So far the fighting has reportedly resulted in 110 to 150 civilian casualties. The numbers still need to be verified," said a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Reports the Taliban are hiding in residents' homes and marketplaces "heightened the risk of civilian casualties arising from any military aerial response", the UN warned. Bombs placed along the road leading north and south from the city also "prevented civilians from safely fleeing the violence", it said. On Monday the Afghan defence minister said at least 100 security forces had been killed in the fighting so far, and "20-30" civilians. Ghazni lies along the major Kabul-Kandahar highway, effectively serving as a gateway between Kabul and the militant strongholds in the south.

At least 100 Afghan security forces have been killed as troops backed by US airpower struggled to push the Taliban from embattled Ghazni city, officials said Monday, while residents reported food and medicine shortages four days after fighting began. The Afghan government said it had sent reinforcements to the strategic city, which lies barely two hours drive from Kabul on the main highway connecting the capital with the country's south. US forces in Afghanistan said they had been conducting airstrikes daily since the fighting began. The assault, which the Taliban launched late Thursday, comes as the insurgents are under increasing pressure to join peace talks and highlights the difficulty of repelling their repeated attacks on urban centres crowded with civilians, with residents among the dead. ‘About 100 security forces have lost their lives and between 20 and 30 civilians have been killed,’ defence minister Tariq Shah Bahrami told a press conference in Kabul, offering the first high-level official casualty figure since the insurgents entered the city. He also said that 194 insurgents had been killed and 147 wounded. The Taliban swiftly responded, saying the government's claims were ‘baseless’ and that talks were ‘under way for their surrender’. Doctors were struggling to treat dozens of wounded at hospitals in the eastern provincial capital, where residents said insurgents roamed the streets. At a hospital in the city wounded people could be seen groaning in agony on stretchers, while uncovered wooden coffins filled with bodies were laid on the floor. A doctor in the hospital's intensive care unit said they had received over 80 dead bodies as of Sunday and had treated more than 160 patients, many of whom were had been injured by gunshots or shrapnel. ‘There are no police or soldiers to guard the hospital. They bring their wounded and then leave,’ the doctor, Mohammad Arif Omari, said. ‘The hospital is overwhelmed,’ Andrea Catta Preta, a spokeswoman for the International Red Cross in Kabul, told AFP. With residents reporting power remained out in the city, she said the Red Cross was able to reach the hospital on Monday during a brief lull in fighting, providing nearly 200 litres of fuel for its generator and medical supplies for over 100 people. ‘Everybody is requesting assistance, so we have been doing what we can whenever we have a window of security to do something,’ she added. An AFP reporter in the city said late Sunday that militants were going door to door and commandeering supplies including water, tea, and wheelbarrows to move injured fighters. - Confusion and rumour - Ghazni residents who arrived in Kabul after fleeing the violence told AFP that the dead bodies of militants and soldiers continued to litter the streets, while government offices have been set ablaze by Taliban fighters and food prices are rising. ‘Everyone wanted to find a way to flee the city. Most of the people are still hiding in their basements as fighting is going from street to street,’ said Ghazni journalist Fayeza Fayez, who arrived in Kabul late Sunday after fleeing the city. Communication networks in Ghazni remained mostly down, and officials have been reticent, making any information difficult to verify and fuelling rumours of high tolls. Most officials contacted by AFP in Ghazni and Kabul had switched their phones off. The United Nations called on all parties to respect the rights of civilians caught in the crossfire. The onslaught was the latest attempt by the Taliban to overrun an urban centre, and comes as pressure increases on the insurgents to begin peace talks with the government to end the nearly 17-year-old war. It was also the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since an unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and the Taliban to a temporary pause, providing war-weary Afghans some welcome relief. Ghazni lies along the major Kabul-Kandahar highway, effectively serving as a gateway between Kabul and the militant strongholds in the south. US forces in Kabul denied reports that the highway had been blocked by the insurgents, saying Afghan forces remained in control of the area and were carrying out a clearance operation targeting militants. Confusion over one deployment of commandos headed for Ghazni also raised concerns, with local media reporting up to 100 special forces troops were missing. An official at the Ministry of Defense denied the reports.

Afghan special forces units moved to embattled Ghazni overnight to try to beat back Taliban insurgents who have come close to overrunning the city as public anger mounted over the government's response to the crisis. The attack on Ghazni, a strategic centre on the main road linking the capital Kabul with southern Afghanistan, has come as a severe blow to President Ashraf Ghani and dampened hopes of a possible start to peace talks with the Taliban. Diplomats in Kabul said the government had admitted being taken by surprise by the attack and after 72 hours with minimal public comment from the presidential palace, Ghani announced on Twitter that reinforcements would be sent to the city urgently. Afghan officials said US special forces units were on the ground helping to coordinate air strikes and ground operations but there was no confirmation from US military headquarters in Kabul. Three days after the insurgents launched an assault in the early hours of Friday, news from Ghazni remains patchy and incomplete with communications badly hit after most of the city's telecoms masts were destroyed in the fighting. However, people escaping the city have described widespread destruction and bloodshed and Afghanistan's largest television station, Tolo News, broadcast shaky phone footage apparently showing multiple fires raging across the blacked-out centre. About 100 soldiers and police have been killed and many wounded, according to one security official who said casualties on the Taliban side have also been heavy, including about 50 fighters killed by an air strike as they were waiting for food late on Sunday. Civilian casualties  The number of civilian casualties is not known but witnesses who have reached Kabul have reported seeing many bodies in the streets. Officials at the interior ministry said at least 15 civilians had been killed and more than 400 wounded in the fighting. More than 45 wounded members of the Afghan armed forces had to be airlifted out in the last 48 hours. The attack on Ghazni, the heaviest blow struck by the Taliban since they came close to overrunning the western city of Farah in May, dampened hopes of peace talks which had grown since a surprise three-day truce during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in June. Officials in Ghazni have warned for months that the city could fall and public reaction has been bitter with radio call-in shows and social media flooded with comments denouncing the government. "The whole of Ghazni province is on fire. President Ashraf Ghani must resign!" read a typical comment on Facebook. Officials said Taliban fighters were installed in residential areas, knocking down walls to make movement easier and making it difficult for security forces to hit them for fear of harming civilians. "The militants know our forces will not attack civilians so they are using young men as human shields to walk around the city and set buildings on fire," said one official in Kabul. The insurgents had also seized control of the districts of Khawaja Omari, north of Ghazni city and Ajrestan, in the west of the province with officials saying dozens of Afghan security forces either killed or missing. 

The fight for the embattled eastern Afghan city of Ghazni entered its third day as Taliban militants and security forces engaged in heavy clashes on Sunday, after Kabul vowed the city was firmly under government control. An AFP reporter on the ground said Taliban fighters continued to roam the city, torching government offices and in control of several police checkpoints, with reinforcements deployed from Kabul slowly entering the city to confront the insurgents. Residents cowered in their homes or attempted to flee the fighting, as skyrocketing inflation hit basic provisions, according to residents and officials. "The situation is chaotic," Amanullah Kamrani, deputy head of the Ghazni provincial council, told AFP from Kabul. "In Ghazni, only the police headquarters, governor's office and a few departments are under Afghan forces' control -- the rest are under the Taliban fighters' control," he added. Ghazni resident Rahmatullah Andar described similar scenes in an interview with broadcaster Tolonews, saying fighting continued to rage in large swathes of the city and outlying districts.  "There are not sufficient forces to repel the Taliban fighters. We have not witnessed such a large scale attack by the Taliban before," said Andar. Mobile services in the city remained down after militants damaged a telecommunication tower and targeted several media offices in Ghazni, making information difficult to verify. The descriptions stood in stark contrast to statements from Afghan and US officials Saturday, who said government forces were firmly in control of the city and vowed that Ghazni was in no danger of being seized by the Taliban. Ghazni -- around two hours by road from the capital Kabul -- has been under increasing danger from massing Taliban fighters for months, with reports suggesting insurgents had infiltrated the city at will. The onslaught was the latest attempt by the Taliban to overrun an urban centre and comes as pressure increases on the insurgents to begin peace talks with the government to end the nearly 17-year-old war. The attack was the largest tactical operation launched by the Taliban since an unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and the Taliban to a temporary pause, providing war-weary Afghans some welcome relief from the fighting.

Bangladesh and Myanmar have launched a hotline at the Foreign Ministerial level to facilitate “ease of discussions” for the early repatriation of Rohingya refugees. A meeting was held between Myanmar Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor Kyaw Tint Swe and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Friday. Ali was visiting Myanmar to see the preparations for taking back the Rohingyas. In the meeting, the ministers discussed the implementation of the bilateral agreement – “Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State” – signed in November 2017. According to the Myanmar side, both parties agreed that there should be early repatriation of displaced persons from Rakhine who recently fled to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. “Repatriation will be in a voluntary, safe and dignified manner and in this regard, a hotline was established between the ministers to facilitate ease of discussions,” an official statement said. Bangladesh and Myanmar also agreed to intensify co-operation on counter-terrorism and the fight against drug trafficking through exchange of intelligence and enhanced co-ordinated border patrols. As agreed in the arrangement, Myanmar has built two reception centres and one transit camp for Rohingyas. Bangladesh has confirmed progress on the five transit camps. One was complete, another under construction and the remaining three to be built. It was also agreed that any humanitarian aid given to those inhabiting the area on Myanmar’s territory should be given by the aid agencies from Myanmar side.

Both Taliban and government forces claimed they were in control of the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni Saturday, after insurgents stormed the provincial capital, triggering fierce fighting. Afghan officials said they were in control of Ghazni late Friday with authorities in Kabul saying security forces were conducting a clearance operation targeting Taliban fighters who had taken up positions in residential homes. But information about who controlled the city was difficult to confirm with power and mobile services cut to the area after the Taliban destroyed a telecommunications tower, according to Ghazni MP Shah Gul Rezaye. ‘The central government in Kabul said the situation in Ghazni was under their control, but we managed to contact officials in Ghazni who said that fighting was underway in areas surrounding Ghazni,’ said the parliamentarian. Rezaye said additional reinforcements had been rushed to Ghazni late Friday, after US forces deployed attack helicopters and launched at least one drone strike to push back the Taliban fighters. The Taliban, however, claimed victory saying their fighters were now in control of Ghazni after routing Afghan forces. ‘Last night, our mujahideen have completely conquered a battalion in Ghazni, seizing weapons and ammunition and four pickup trucks,’ said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a message to journalists Saturday. ‘Our mujahideen are protecting the city of Ghazni.’ The insurgents frequently exaggerate their battlefield gains and downplay losses incurred during clashes. Ghazni -- less than two hours by road from Kabul -- has been under increasing danger from massing Taliban fighters for months with reports suggesting insurgents had already infiltrated the city. The attack, which began late Thursday, was the latest attempt by the Taliban to seize an urban centre and comes as pressure mounts on the insurgents to enter peace talks with the government to end the nearly 17-year-old war.

Heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked the strategic central Afghan city of Ghazni on Friday, burning police checkpoints and seizing control of parts of the centre before being driven back by US-backed forces, officials said. US attack helicopters and drone aircraft provided government forces with air support. But with Taliban fighters believed to be hiding in residential areas, it was unclear whether the government had full control of the city, with communications badly hit after a number of telecoms installations were destroyed. The attack on a city straddling the main highway between the capital Kabul and southern Afghanistan was a show of strength for the Taliban, underscoring how volatile the security situation remains less than three months before parliamentary elections in October. The defence ministry in Kabul said the attackers had been beaten back but were still present in one area of the city and had occupied civilian houses, from where they were still keeping up occasional fire on security forces clearing the area. It said around 150 attackers had been killed or wounded but gave no estimate of casualties for civilians or security forces. A local health official said at least 16 people had been killed. A statement from US military headquarters in Kabul said fighting had ceased by 8.00 a.m. (0330 GMT) and Afghan forces had held their ground and maintained control of all government centres. "US forces responded with close-air support (US attack helicopters) and conducted one strike (drone). In addition, US aircraft conducted a show of presence," Lt Col. Martin O'Donnell, spokesman for US Forces-Afghanistan, said in an emailed statement. Officials said clashes between security forces and the Taliban started at around 2.00 a.m., forcing the closure of the main highway linking Ghazni to Kabul, 150 km (95 miles) to the northeast. "The Taliban are dropping missiles near residential and commercial areas. There has not been a single minute of silence for the last eight hours," said a senior government official in Ghazni early in the day. Local residents said Taliban fighters were walking openly in the streets in parts of the city. Ghazni police chief General Farid Ahmad Mashal said the Taliban seized several parts of the city, which has been under threat for months, with local officials warning that heavy fighting in surrounding districts showed the city was increasingly vulnerable. Hopes for peace talks President Ashraf Ghani held a meeting with top commanders in Kabul to discuss the situation in Ghazni, where the Taliban appear to have repeated the tactics that almost gave them control of the western city of Farah in May. As helicopters circled overhead in the early morning, a second government official said it was too dangerous for people to venture on to the streets. "It is not possible to get out of our homes to help the injured or collect bodies," he said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement saying multiple attacks were launched overnight in Ghazni. As many as 140 Afghan soldiers and police had been killed and large quantities of weapons and equipment had been seized, he said. However, O'Donnell said initial reports indicated minimal casualties among security forces. "This is yet another failed Taliban attempt to seize terrain, which will result in yet another eye-catching but strategically inconsequential headline," he said. The attack came amid growing hopes of talks to end 17 years of war in Afghanistan and less than two weeks before the Eid al-Adha festival, when the Western-backed government in Kabul had been considering offering a ceasefire. In June, a three-day truce over the Eid al-Fitr holiday brought unprecedented scenes of unarmed Taliban fighters mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities, offering a glimpse of peace and fuelling hopes of negotiations to end the war. However, even while conducting preliminary discussions with US officials, the Taliban have launched a series of operations that underscored their ability to inflict severe damage on Afghan forces. Just last week, an attack on an army post in Uruzgan, a province bordering Ghazni, killed dozens of soldiers, adding to what one US report called the "shockingly high" casualties taken ever since NATO ended its main combat mission in 2014. The Taliban have so far failed to take and hold any provincial centre since they overran the northern city of Kunduz in 2015 before being driven off with the support of US air strikes and Special Forces units. They came close to repeating the feat in 2016, and in May this year they nearly overran Farah before being beaten back with the aid of US forces.

A suicide bomber killed three NATO service members on a foot patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said, and Taliban militants claimed responsibility. A NATO Resolute Support mission service member, an American, and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, the mission said in a statement. "Their sacrifice will endure in both our hearts and history and further strengthen our resolve," said US Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of Resolute Support and US Forces-Afghanistan, in the statement. Local officials said the blast happened in the Khalazai area of Charikar, capital of Parwan province. Wahida Shahkar, spokeswoman for the Parwan provincial governor, said the suicide bomber targeted foreign forces who were on a routine foot patrol. Eastern Afghanistan, where US Special Forces units have regularly been deployed against militants, continues to be one of the deadliest areas for the US military since its main combat operation against the Taliban ended in 2014. The Taliban, fighting to restore strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, claimed responsibility. "We have killed eight US invaders in a tactic bombing," Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said in statement. "The invaders had to bring three helicopter ambulances to protect their forces," he said. 

A suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in eastern Afghanistan during Friday prayers, killing 25 people and wounding 40, police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but police said at least two men had entered the mosque in the city of Gardez in the province of Paktia where about 60 people were praying. The blast hit the Khawaja Hassan mosque. "Emergency teams have collected 25 bodies from the mosque premises and 40 people have been rushed to hospital," said Abdullah Hazrat, a senior government official who was at the blast site. One witness told Reuters that Shia Muslims, a minority in Sunni-majority Afghanistan, were praying when one man detonated his explosives. A second attacker is reported to have opened fire as worshippers gathered. Afghanistan has mostly avoided the sectarian violence that has devastated countries such as Iraq, but there have been increasing numbers of attacks on Shia targets in recent years. No reliable census information exists on the size of the Shia community in Afghanistan, but estimates range around 10-20 percent, with most coming from the Persian-speaking Hazara and Tajik ethnic groups. 

An Afghan official on Friday described the kidnapping and killing of three foreigners in Kabul province as a terrorist incident, most probably carried out by Taliban militants. Taliban insurgents are active in some parts of the Mussahi district, where the bodies of the employees from France-based company Sodexo were found, Kabul police chief spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai said. They were ordinary employees of the company, according to the latest investigation by Kabul police. The driver of the company that was carrying the workers at the time of the attack is under investigation by the Afghan spy agency, Stanakzai said. The agency confirmed that an investigation is underway, but did not give details. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied involvement in the incident.  Sodexo meanwhile confirmed the death of its three employees in Kabul. "The company is working closely with the authorities in Kabul and will share further information when available," it said. The company, which is headquartered in France, provides services such as food provision. It is not clear whether the company's clients include the foreign military alliance operating in Afghanistan. The three foreign nationals were Macedonian, Indonesian and Indian staffers of Sodexo. They were kidnapped close to their company premises and subsequently killed by unknown gunmen in eastern Mussahi district of Kabul province on Thursday morning.

Special forces have freed 61 prisoners from a Taliban-controlled jail in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, an official said Friday. The prisoners were freed after an operation conducted by the forces in the province's Kajaki district late Thursday, spokesman Jawid Saleem said. At least two Taliban militants were shot dead during the rescue mission. The prisoners were jailed for alleged offences including cooperating with the government to spy on the Taliban and not abiding by the militants' rules, Salem added. They were kept in poor conditions, not fed properly and were often tortured by the militants.  They are now in a military facility in Helmand and will rejoin their families later on Friday. Over 350 prisoners have been released from four Taliban prisons in Helmand over the past three months, Salem said.  According to the latest report of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the insurgents control nine of 14 districts in Helmand and 56 per cent of the population.