Once again underscoring how vulnerable the region is, Taliban forces attacked and overran a key security post around the outskirts of the Afghan city of Ghazni. The city has been contested in the past, and this is one of several posts which aimed to encircle the city and keep the Taliban from raiding.
The Taliban took the post, killing 13 Afghan troops and wounding 13 others. The Taliban’s statement claimed 18 were killed, and that they’d seized a large quantity of weapons stored at the post.
It’s unclear if taking the post is meant to be a prelude to a new Taliban incursion into the city of Ghazni, or simply an attempt to force security forces to commit more defenses, making other parts of the country vulnerable.
Afghan officials say that they inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban in the fight as well. The Taliban controls several areas around Ghazni Province, and has been making gains in areas across Afghanistan, forcing the military onto the defensive.
A few historical nodes about Ghazni
Ghazni is an important thoroughfare for the Taliban and other militant groups in eastern Afghanistan. The country’s main route, Highway 1, runs through this market halfway between the country’s two largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar.
from wiki — The Battle of Ghazni took place in city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on July 23, 1839 during the First Anglo-Afghan War. . .. .. The British then fought their way into the center of the city and by dawn the city was captured. The British forces suffered 200 men killed and wounded while the Afghans lost nearly 500 men and 1,600 were taken prisoner with an unknown number wounded. . .The British captured the city. General Keane was, for his service, elevated to the Peerage as Baron Keane of Ghazni.
Apr 16, 2012 — US prepares for last major offensive in Afghanistan — The U.S. this month finished moving the 1st brigade of the 82nd Airborne into Ghazni to help clear out a Taliban stronghold in Andar district. It could be one of the largest remaining American clearing operations of the war. It is not known when that operation will take place, but Ghazni is located at a key chokepoint with the country’s main highway from the south to Kabul running through it. The highway runs just past Andar district.
Mar 20, 2013 — Insecurity, fund paucity hit Ghazni projects — Two senior officials on Tuesday informed the Meshrano Jirga that insecurity, lack of funds and fewer construction firms stymied certain projects in southern Ghazni province. The projects are part of government’s efforts to prepare Ghazni City, the provincial capital, to serve as Asian capital of the Islamic civilisation in 2013.
Aug 28, 2013 — Afghan army seen improving, but public fears mount — Lt. Gen. Mark Milley [now Army C/S], who runs the day-to-day coalition campaign in Afghanistan, says only a small stretch of the 1,900-kilometer (1,200-mile) road has been affected. Less than three months after the Afghan forces took over primary responsibility for national security from the U.S.-led coalition, Milley says he’s sure they are capable of operating alone, carrying out large-scale operations around the country with little support from the U.S.-led coalition.
August 13, 2014 — DoD Identifies Army Casualty — The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston, 35, of Houston, Texas, died Aug. 12, in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his unit was engaged by enemy small-arms fire
Oct 12, 2015 — Taliban threaten second Afghan provincial capital as insurgency spreads — Fighting intensified around the Afghan city of Ghazni on Monday, as Taliban militants threatened to seize a second provincial capital after briefly occupying Kunduz in the north last month.