FEROZKOH (Pajhwok): Local officials in western Ghor province claim the security forces have wrested back control of Murghab district from militants.

Two days back, the Taliban overran the district after several hours of fierce fighting.

Governor Mohammad Kohnaward told Pajhwok Afghan News on Wednesday all parts of the district were cleared of insurgents on Tuesday night.

He opined the militants, who had lost the ability to fight against the security forces face to face, should embrace peace.

Deputy police chief Wahidullah Nizami confirmed reclaiming all areas of the district from the Taliban.

Atta Mohammad Dehqanpur, a public representative in the Wolesi Jirga who visited the frontline, called on Taliban to enter intra-Afghan peace negotiations.

But some local sources said the government had only captured the district office complex.

Abdul Basir, a resident of the district, said: “We repair our houses daily but they are damaged again as a result of fighting.”

The Taliban have not yet reacted to the official claim of gaining back Murghab’s control.

sa/mud

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