KABUL: The Afghan armed forces said on Tuesday that they have repulsed a Taliban offensive in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the northern Balkh province, with over 80 militants killed in the operation.
On Monday, the Taliban announced that they would soon capture Mazar-i-Sharif. Shortly after the advance was launched, the radical movement told Sputnik that the government had lost control over the city and that it would soon be occupied by the Taliban.
"Heroic security and defense forces members, paratroopers with support of the air force and militia have once again contained the enemy," the 209 Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army wrote on social media.
The Taliban attack was aimed at breaking the Pul-e-Imam Bukhari defense line in the Dihdadi district and capturing a stronghold in the Nahr-e Shahi district, the Afghan military said. Over 80 Taliban militants were killed in the fighting, with one hideout and a large cache of weapons and ammunition destroyed.